Enough
by SeenWriting
Summary: After her break-up with Finn and finding out nobody really likes her after all this time, the taunts and mocking finally start getting to Rachel. To add insult to injury, a tragedy is about to befall the brunette singer that might just be the last straw.
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: Hey guys so I've decided to do this story for two reasons. First, I'm in an angsty place right now so I feel like writing this sort of thing. Second, my other story 'Changes' hasn't gotten quite the reception I wanted. I'm thinking of scrapping it altogether. Anyway, I hope you enjoy this and leave me a comment after. **

Rachel Berry was officially at a loss for the first time in her life. It wasn't really a surprise; she knew that if she were to lose her voice, the glee club would drop her in an instant. Still, it hurt like hell; their words had finally penetrated the walls she had built around her heart years ago. After all, it's not like this treatment started all of a sudden.

"_I want to punch you in the face…"_

"_We only pretend to like you…" _

"_You have a very bad attitude…" _

The worse part had been that Finn, her now ex-boyfriend who was supposed to love her, just sat there. Not to mention finding out about his…dalliances…with Santana in such a way. She'd once thought that the egging incident with Jesse had been humiliating but being told in front of everyone trumped it. Not even one of them looked surprised. And then, finding out that everybody knew (including Kurt) except her just drove the point harder. She was never going to fit in, nobody would ever really care for her.

"Ugh, even my thoughts are a mess." The short brunette got out of her car and walked up to her house.

She knew that there was no one home the minute she closed the door. Her daddy's keys were not in the small table by the door and her dad's studio was closed. She walked to the kitchen to find a note tucked onto the fridge in the neat handwriting of her dad.

**Rachel darling, daddy had a conference in Hawaii and we decided it would be fun to go together. We tried calling you but your cell was off, told you to check the battery. There's plenty of cash in the take-out menu drawer. We'll be back next week. Please, when you read this give me a call. Love, Dad. **

The brunette took the bedazzled phone out of her pocket and sighed. The battery was indeed dead. _Great! Now I have this whole house to myself to mope and be depressed. _She grabbed the kitchen phone and dialed her dad's cell phone on her way up the stairs.

"Rachel baby! How are you?" Hiram Berry answered sounding so chipper that Rachel couldn't help but smile albeit wistfully. _At least someone's happy._

"I'm fine dad. So…Hawaii, huh?"

"Yes! Your father surprised me with the tickets. I mean he is technically going for work but the conference is only for a couple of days. The rest of them are going to be like a second honey moon." The man gushed.

"Sounds like fun."

"Sweetie, are you okay? I mean I know it was last minute but we really want to do this, we haven't had any time four ourselves in years and…

"I'm okay dad, just tired."

"Sure?"

"Yes, what time does the plane leave?"

"In about half an hour."

"OK, well enjoy your trip. And tell daddy I said the same goes for him."

"Alright princess we'll see you in a week."

How nice was it to feel so wanted by everybody. Even her own parents wanted to get away from her time-consuming demeanor. She tossed the phone carelessly on top of her desk and decided to take a shower. At the end she didn't even have the strength to order something for dinner so she just turned in earlier than usual and hoped that tomorrow would be a better day.

It was really too bad that the halls of McKinley High had other plans for the brunette. She had run late that morning, having forgotten to set the alarm the previous night. Maybe she had been really tired and that was what caused her to oversleep. Her usual morning routine on the elliptical had to be skipped.

Rachel ran to her locker to retrieve the books she was going to need for her first period class when it happened. Karofsky and Azimio appeared out of nowhere with two extra large cups of grape slushy and threw them right to her face. They were like heat-seeking missiles and apparently it was open season on Rachel Berry again. This was going to be a pain to remove from her clothes.

As the chill seeped deeper into her bones she heard the customary laughs of every other passerby. Witnesses if bullying were, in a way, just as bad as the perpetrators, right? At least it was what everybody said and then promptly forgot about. It was then that she heard his laugh. Wiping the syrup from her eyes she cracked one eye open and there he was. The sweet, goofy quarterback she loved so much was laughing at her.

Of course, there was also Santana, Brittany, Quinn, Sam and she even noticed Mercedes, Tina and Artie further away. However, it was the fact that Finn was also more than glad to see her suffering that instantly brought tears to her eyes. Maybe she had hurt him by cheating on him with Puck but she'd never contribute to his humiliation in such a way. Surely he must know how much it would hurt her, right?

It was, of all people, Puck who reached into her locker and retrieved her slushy emergency kit. "I'm sorry Rachel." Then, he handed the bag over and kept walking. Sure, he had said he liked her but not enough to stand up for her.

The rest of the day hadn't helped much for her already somber mood. Her English teacher got mad because she failed to hand in an assignment (it had been the victim of that morning slushy attack but she saw no point in trying to explain) and had decided to give her a four page essay to make up for the credits. The taunting and mocking had been especially brutal too. By the time Glee came around she was downright exhausted and couldn't wait to get home.

She was surprised to see everyone already there; usually Rachel was the first in the choir room. It didn't go unnoticed by anyone.

"Rachel…" Mr. Schuester started. "…I think that as our captain it is not a good example that you are showing up late like this."

"Sorry Mr. Schuester."

"Whatever Mr. Schue, we already know we can win without her precious talent. Now, let's talk about my solo for Regionals shall we?" Mercedes piped in making Rachel wince.

"What's the matter RuPaul? Can't take the truth?" Santana said.

"As a matter of fact Santana, I…" Rachel started to retort.

"Jesus Treasure Trail! I swear if you open your mouth I will really punch you this time!" It was Quinn who added that little tidbit.

"I don't have to say anything Quinn, my talent speaks for itself however much you want to ignore it and waste…"

"Enough Rachel! I don't want to have to tell you again about the attitude problem. Now shut the hell up!" Mr. Schuester yelled.

Silence fell on the classroom as Rachel valiantly tried to hold back the tears and embarrassment. Sure, he had lost it before sectionals too but it wasn't anywhere near this. Before everyone could recover from his little and entirely inappropriate outburst, someone cleared their throat from the doorway.

"Excuse me, Will?" It was Ms. Pillsbury, or rather Ms. Howell.

"Oh hi, Emma..." The Spanish teacher made puppy dog eyes at the guidance counselor and offered the best smile he could offer. "...how can I help you?"

"I need to see Rachel in my office." Ms. Howell replied very seriously. She'd witnessed his little stunt and now she felt worse for the girl and the news she was about to receive.

The curly haired man was surprised to see such a serious look in her face but said nothing and motioned for the girl to go.

"Rachel, it would be best if you took your belongings with you." Ms. Howell said once she saw the girl was leaving her backpack behind.

Once in her office Emma sat the girl down and gave her a glass of water. "Ms. Howell? What is this about? I have a perfect 4.0 GPA and I'm sure there's not another student in this school with as much extracurricular classes as myself so I really see no reason in being here. Am I in trouble?"

Emma sighed, there was really no way of sugar coating a piece of news like this one. "Rachel, I'm afraid I have a bit of bad news for you, uhm…the school-the school was contacted a few minutes ago, from Hawaii. It seems like the plane your fathers were in had an accident. Rachel I'm so sorry but uhm…you fathers-they-they've passed away."

The brunette had been in the middle of taking a sip of her glass of water. Suddenly, as if in slow motion, the glass slipped from her fingers and shattered on the ground. Very much like her life had just been shattered by Ms. Howell's words.

A single tear fell from impossibly sad brown eyes. "W-what?"


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N: Hey guys, this is next chapter finally. School started this week and is already being the biggest bitch but I'm definitely not cutting back on my writing. Biology and biochem be damned! Haha no I'm just kidding; I just have to find my groove with the new schedule and all. Thanks for all the reviews, alerts and such. I hope this lives up to your expectations. Please don't hesitate to give me your opinion whatever this may be. LOL **

**Oh some explaining I feel like I have to do hehe, I really hate Schuester AND Finn. The same does not apply to Matthew Morrison or Cory Monteith. They're very talented it's just that their characters are plain crazies. Also, I decided to make this a Faberry 'cause they can't get any cuter. I mean did you see the Golden Globes interviews? That being said, I'll leave you to it. Enjoy. **

The week was almost over and there was still no sign of Rachel since that Friday that Mrs. Howell asked her to her office and never came back to glee practice. It was all very strange and it seemed that nobody, not even Finn, knew what was going on with the tiny starlet. She had broken her perfect attendance record.

Everybody in glee club was confused but it was only because they worried about what they were going to do if they didn't have her with them at Regionals. The rest of the student body just wanted their favorite target back. There was only one other student that felt like something was truly missing, even though she wouldn't admit it even under threat of torture. Once in the safety of her room, the teenager secretly searched the phone book under 'Berry' and groaned and the amount of people listed. _How common is that name anyway? _She would be sacrificed to the slushy gods if anyone found out that Quinn Fabray was indeed worried about RuPaul and was actually planning to call her just to see if she was okay.

The blonde cheerleader had waited long enough and was now going crazy without knowing what happened to Rachel. She'd even gone as far as recruiting JewFro's help but even he didn't know where his favorite stalking subject was. That in of itself was scary; Rachel never did anything without Jacob knowing about it. Thus, the more direct approach of calling every Berry on the phone book till the correct one answered.

"Hello?" A woman's voice answered and even though Quinn knew Rachel had two dads…you never knew.

"Hello, I would like to talk to Rachel Berry please?"

"Wrong number."

It was the same answer for nearly half an hour. Until she finally heard her voice on the other side of the line. Still, the minute it happened Quinn regretted it. Rachel sounded utterly broken. _Not that I've spent countless hours observing her and understanding her, right?_

"Hello?" It was barely above a whisper and the blonde actually had to strain to hear it.

"R-Rachel?" She offered tentatively. "Is that you?" _Smooth Fabray, smooth._

"Quinn?"

Butterflies filled her stomach at the sound of her name dropping from the singer's lips. "Uh, I…a-are you okay?" The blonde mentally kicked herself for her stuttering and fumbling for words.

"Is this a joke?" Same monotonous tone so unlike the brunette.

"W-what? No, it isn't! It's just…you haven't been to school in almost a week and…I-I was worried OK?" The blonde hurriedly explained.

She heard a huff from the brunette. "Oh, you were worried?" Rachel was angry now. "Tell me Quinn, was that before or after you punched me for opening my mouth?"

The Head Cheerio didn't know what to say. Sure, Rachel had always been strong and taken the bullying in stride, never letting it affect her. So to hear her snap like this took her aback. "Rachel, I-I…"

"Leave me alone already!" Rachel was crying now but she managed to yell at Quinn between sobs. Her voice was full of anger but the blonde couldn't deny the sadness that seeped through. Something big had happened to Rachel and she would find out what it was.

Next day at school Quinn tried her best to corner Mrs. Howell to pry the information out of her. After all, if something triggered this behavior on the brunette, it was whatever she talked about with her. Still, the doe-eyed guidance counselor stuck to her student-teacher confidentiality rule or whatever. _It's not like she's a real therapist!_

After that particular plan fell through Mr. Schuester was next on her list. After all, he was both Rachel's Spanish teacher and Glee club director. Therefore, she approached him at the first chance she got. "Excuse me, ?"

The teacher turned to look at her and gave her a lopsided smile. _Yeah yeah, you have dimples, big deal! _"Oh hi, Quinn! What can I do for you?"

The blonde knew that his 'noble' nature would make him ask this right away. "I was actually wondering if Mrs. Howell had talked to you about Rachel. You know, she disappeared after their talk on Friday." _Something's gotta give curly! Spit it out!_

The look of utter surprise on his face wasn't lost on the cheerleader. He couldn't believe that Quinn Fabray was asking about Rachel Berry but she had no time to try to explain. It's not like he would understand anyway; he seemed intent on doing whatever could get him closer to Mrs. Howell. Including changing the whole strategy for Glee club competition.

Will coughed. "Uhm, no Quinn. I'm afraid that Emma hasn't talked to me about it. She hasn't talked to me much at all this week." He said that last part with a sad look in his eyes and a melancholic tone.

_Cry baby!_

"Oh, OK. But, aren't you worried though?" Quinn pressed on.

"No, not really. Think about it, if something serious had happened we would know by now. No news is good news." He smiled and she wanted nothing more than to slap him.

How this man-child got his teaching license was a mystery to the girl. However, knowing full well that assaulting a teacher wouldn't get her very far on the quest to find out what had happened with the brunette she smiled and walked away.

With a sense of defeat, Quinn walked back to her locker to retrieve the books she would need to do her homework for the day. Once there she was startled by the annoying voice of Jacob Ben Israel. "Quinn Fabray, what say you to the rumors that the Cheerios planned an attack on Rachel under your command and that it is the reason for her continued absence?"

The blonde rolled her eyes. "Seriously, Jacob?"

The boy was stunned into silence. _Crap! Since when do I call this jerk by his name? I blame Rachel for distracting me of my bitchy ways. _"What? That's you name isn't it? Anyway, no, I planned nothing nor did I instruct anyone on the squad to do so."

The boy sighed. "You were my last theory. No one knows anything. I even went by her house last night…"

His words became distant as Quinn got struck with an idea. She would have to go to her house and see for herself that the brunette was okay. The blonde thought that she should have thought of this sooner but she hoped to gather the information inconspicuously. However, after her plans completely failed she was anxious enough to risk someone seeing her at Rachel's house.

"What? Wait, so you know where she lives?"

Well that was a stupid question. Of course the creep knew where Rachel lived, he was her number one stalker. "Tell me the address, please."

Jacob grinned devilishly. "Now, Quinn Fabray, that information is going to be available to you for a price."

_Ugh! The things they made me do. I said please! _Quinn was still the HBIC and she wasn't about to let this little perv blackmail her. "Listen to me JewFro, either you give me the address or you'll find yourself conveniently in Pucks radar for the rest of the year. I'll make sure of that."

The boy visibly cringed and took out a piece of paper where he wrote the information and handed it to the girl.

"Thanks. Now, I know that I don't have to tell you to keep this little exchange under wraps because you know much better, right Jacob?"

Defeated the boy sighed. "Yes, Quinn." And with that the kid walked away looking for more gossip to spread.

Next stop: the Berry's house. Now, on any normal day; Quinn Fabray wouldn't be caught dead going to the brunette's house but this situation required drastic measures. High school hierarchy be damned.

The blonde had never been able to explain the draw towards the tiny brunette she'd always experienced. She'd finally categorized it as a mild attraction after a lot of freaking out and layers of denial because it obviously went against her family's beliefs. Objectively, there was no reason in particular for the way Quinn treated Rachel. First of all, the volatile rules of popularity always managed to keep them on polar opposites of the social spectrum. And second, the fact that she harbored feelings for the starlet didn't make things any easier. She knew there was nothing wrong with liking Rachel in an 'I want to kiss you senseless' way but she'd already gotten pregnant and thrown out of her house, she really didn't need another 'bible-rule-breaking' scandal.

The drive was relatively short. Quinn noticed that there were newspapers and mail stacked in a pile next to the front door. _Maybe there's no one home._ Perhaps it was better that she returned some other time. _Oh for crying out loud Fabray! Just get your ass over there already. _She forced herself to get out of her car and once in front of the door she squared her shoulders and took a deep breath. After a few seconds she rang the doorbell. Footsteps were heard and the door was opened to reveal the subject of Quinn's affections. The blonde could only gasp.

"What the hell are you doing here, Fabray?"


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N: Okay guys seriously the response to this has been awesome, much better than my other fic for which I'm valiantly fighting writer's block. I'm so sorry about the delay in updates but school's a bitch. I know that's the most generic excuse ever but it's all I've got. Believe me, if I could write all day I'd be the happiest girl to ever walk this planet. So, this chapter is a bit dark in my opinion. I'm a bit of a tortured soul so that's generally what my mind is like (not that I'm depressed or anything, it's just how I work). I think that before things look up in life, they have endless possibilities to get worse. But don't worry, Quinn's gonna be there for Rachel and she's literally gonna fight people to do so. Btw I saw the sneak peeks of the super bowl episode and I wanted to slap Finn, just saying. Oh and Schuester too, like the dude didn't completely blow up before sectionals and took her solos away! Anyway, before this author's note gets too random (as if it isn't already) I leave you to it. Please review but most of all, enjoy. (: **

"What the hell are you doing here, Fabray?"

The blonde could do nothing but gape at the tiny brunette in front of her. She had lost a significant amount of weight if that was even possible and had huge dark circles under her eyes. She was wearing the baggiest pair of sweats that only accentuated her overall state of distress.

"Oh my god Rachel, are you okay?" Quinn reached for the girl instinctively but the diva moved aside.

"That's none of your business so I'll ask again, what the hell are you doing at my house?"

"I-I-I wanted to see of you were okay. You've missed a week of school now, that's not like you and don't even get me started on Glee."

Rachel tilted her head to one side and eyed the blonde suspiciously. Suddenly, the short girl stepped out of the house and yelled. "Okay everybody! You can come out of the bushes and make fun at Man hands and her hideous choice of clothing! Maybe even throw her a slushie!"

Quinn watched frozen as the girl paced back and forth in front of her house yelling at who she thought was hiding obviously waiting to humiliate her on behalf of the blonde. She felt a pang of shame and guilt but she couldn't deny her involvement in provoking that reaction from the petite diva. "Rachel, calm down. It's just me, I was really worried and nobody knew where you were. I just…I needed to see for myself that you were okay"

Rachel's eyes snapped to worried hazel ones and she invaded Quinn's personal space in a few quick and angry strides. "Worried were you? Or was it that you could not find anyone else to torture?" The brunette stared into Quinn's eyes waiting for that flash of pettiness that appeared every time Quinn did something mean to her. It never came and Rachel visibly deflated. She seemed to relax a bit as she walked back to the door. "Fine, you've seen me, now leave."

Every cell in her body was screaming at her to say no. She had to stay and comfort the clearly distraught brunette but the one time she needed them most, her words failed her completely so she stood there speechless. A pale hand reached out to touch a tan one but the cheerleader changed her mind and let her arm fall awkwardly to her side.

Rachel sighed. "Quinn, please. Just leave."

With that, she closed the door leaving a dumbfounded blonde standing at the door. _Great Fabray! You should have tried harder!_

Once inside the house Rachel slumped against the door and slid to the floor where she just couldn't hold it in anymore so she broke down in sobs. "Rachel? Rachel sweetie? Who was it at the door?"

"Nobody aunt Millie. Nobody."

Rachel really loved her aunt. She used to go to her house every summer for a week and have the most amazing time. Still, with the present circumstances, every time she looked at her she couldn't help but remember the past and how screwed up things were now.

The older woman approached the girl and wrapped her arms around her. "Sweetie, I wanted to talk to you about school. I think it's time you went back."

Rachel stiffened and managed to get out of her aunt's hold. She knew Millie was right, school was important and she shouldn't keep missing if she didn't want to have any unnecessary problems with Figgins but she honestly didn't think she was up for it yet. "Aunt Millie…"

"Listen to me sweetie. You fathers cared a lot about your education. They would not like it if you were to loose the year or anything like that. Of course, I'm not gonna force you, you'll do things at your own pace but I just thought…I don't know…that maybe you could start by going back and seeing how you feel?"

Rachel thought about it and simply nodded to her aunt, she was really in no mood to argue. "Okay, I'll go back on Monday, I promise."

With one last hug the brunette girl retreated to her room like she had been doing almost all week. Right when she passed her fathers' room she paused for a second and put her hand to the doorknob. Desperately, she wanted all this to be just a nightmare and that once she opened the door she'd find Hiram and Leroy Berry smiling back at her. With a light push the door swung open and her heart broke yet a little more, there was no one there. There would never be anyone for her like that again. Closing the door she finally reached the safe haven of her own room while she heard her aunt yell from downstairs that dinner would be ready in a few minutes, like she was hungry at all.

Unbeknownst to the brunette, there was a blonde cheerleader a few miles away that was plotting some way of getting her phone number. She had failed miserably and was frankly astonished that none of the glee club member had Rachel's cell phone or home number. They really were a crappy team. _JewFro is out of the question. I can't keep getting information put of him; he'll get suspicious. _

Then in a bout of inspiration she packed a duffel bag and snuck out (not that it was hard because her mom was working almost all day now, female liberation was a really cool thing, Judy Fabray was now addicted to self sufficiency) after scribbling a note about a sleepover at some random Cheerio's house. Quinn drove to McKinley High only to find it deserted as she hoped it would be. It wasn't hard to pick the locks and get into the offices where they kept the students' files. She opened the cabinet and frantically searched for Rachel's file.

Opening up the folder she found the normal information. Address, phone number (which she promptly stored in her own cell phone), brief health history, etc. In short, every generic piece of information that a school asks every student that wants to enroll. Then she noticed one of those sheets that Ms. Pillsbury or rather Mrs. Howell used to "file a report" on a problem she notices about a student. Quinn knew what it looked like because she had been there when the counselor had filled one for her pregnancy. In this situation, Quinn's curiosity got the best of her even though he knew that reading it would constitute a huge invasion of the brunette's privacy.

She froze as she read on. Rachel was an orphan now. Mrs. Howell had contacted the sister of Mr. Leroy Berry and she was now the tiny girl's guardian. The redhead had also advised professional help but was waiting to hear back from the woman until she could recommend someone specific. A tear escaped from focused hazel eyes. Rachel absolutely adored her fathers, it shone through every time she spoke of them and now she was all alone. Quinn didn't know this Millicent Berry since the petite diva had never mentioned her but she knew that with both men missing she was feeling utterly alone. _And then we have to go and be the biggest jerks to her. As if she needed a reminder of how lonely she is going to be. _

In that moment, Quinn Fabray resolved to be different to the short brunette. No matter how freaked out her feelings had her or how far away the school's stupid hierarchy had them standing. Come hell or high water Rachel Berry was going to know that she was most definitely not alone.

It was this determination that had the blonde cheerleader sitting in her car in front of the Berry residence looking up into what she thought was Rachel's bedroom. _She obviously isn't going to invite you up moron! You really have some serious convincing to do if you want her to open up to you. _Somewhere along the ride, Quinn had decided that it would be best if Rachel didn't know that she was aware of her situation. She had to be the one to open up to people about it whenever and if she was ever ready at all. Nobody could really blame her if she decided not to tell them, the glee club and school in general had done a pretty good job at making her feel ostracized.

Releasing a breath that she didn't even know she was holding she got out of the car and adjusted her duffel bag on her back. With great determination she moved to the side of the house and started climbing. This was the kind of situation that made her thankful for Sue Sylvester and her crazy exercise regimes; this would've been harder without the extra muscles. Finally she reached the lit window and risked a peek inside. _Please let this be her room!_ She let out a relieved sigh when she realized that luck was on her side tonight and that she was peeking into a Broadway themed room that could be no one else's but Rachel's.

Riding that wave of luck she chanced a yank to the window, which opened without much effort. _Wow, I really need to tell her that it is disturbingly easy to break into her house._ Once inside she found herself in an empty room and she got closer to the door to try to listen. She heard Rachel's voice and a woman's she supposed was her aunt coming from downstairs. Quinn put her bag down and sat on the edge of a very comfortable looking bed and she waited.

The blonde must have dozed off because next thing she knew was being woken up by a shrill scream. "Thank you aunt Millie…OH MY GOD!"

Quinn shot up in bed and looked pleadingly into the deepest brown orbs as both girls heard footsteps thundering up the stairs. "Please Rachel, don't have me arrested."

"Rachel! Sweetie what's wrong?" Millie was in the hallway now.

Making a sudden decision Rachel pointed towards her bathroom and whispered. "Hide."

Quinn did as she was told just in time for Millie to come barging into the girl's room. "What? Why did you yell? Are you okay?"

She heard Rachel sigh. "Yes aunt Millie, I just…I almost tripped and hit my head." The brunette could certainly do better than that Quinn thought; she was an excellent actress. However, it seemed to be enough for the older woman as she accepted the explanation and simply left for the guest room.

The blonde waited just in case the woman came back but she couldn't hear a thing. She expected Rachel to come in right away but the brunette didn't show so Quinn stepped out of the bathroom to find Rachel changing into a pair of pajamas. _Holy shit! She's hot! Focus Fabray, focus! _"Oh! Sorry, I didn't mean to…"

"It's okay, it's not like you don't do this in the locker rooms with the other cheerleaders." The brunette said.

"Yeah right so…uhm…thanks, you know, for not having me arrested or something."

Rachel turned around and dropped the clothes she was wearing in the general vicinity of her bed. "I know I already asked this earlier and it was no use so I'm going to be more forceful thins time. So, what the fuck are you doing here again?"

Quinn was nonplussed. The petite diva never swore because it was "extremely unbecoming for a young lady" and to hear such harsh words now was just plain weird.

"Uh, I told you…I'm worried. And our encounter this afternoon didn't ease my worries at all so I decided to come again."

Rachel snorted. "Okay, let me get this straight. Quinn Fabray, Head cheerleader of McKinley High, better half of the Ken & Barbie all-american couple, is worried about Rachel Man-Hands Berry, better known as RuPaul or Treasure Trail?" Then she broke out in laughter.

The blonde cheerleader couldn't help but notice how cynical the girl sounded. Ashamed of what Rachel had said about her she waited until the laughter subsided. Once she thought Rachel had calmed down she looked straight into brown orbs and supplied in the most sincere voice se could muster. "Yes, I was. I am."

Rachel stared her down and finally walked to her bed and plopped down on it. "Seriously Quinn, what are you trying to pull here? The best prank of the year, perhaps? I can assure you I'm not in the mood for it, really. I just want to be left alone."

The blonde felt her heart clench at the girl's utter defeat so evident in her voice. She hated herself for causing it to some extent. She knelt down in front of the brunette and brought her face to look directly into each other's eyes. "Look, Rachel, I want you to know that I'm sorry. I'm sorry I was ever such a bitch to you because you didn't deserve it. I want to make amends and be there for you. I am worried because you don't look, act or even talk like yourself. What happened?"

Quinn hoped that Rachel saw the sincerity in her eyes and in her unwavering voice but at the same time knew that it was too much to ask for her to just forget years of bullying and just open up. It was going to take a little more than that.

"I don't need your pity. I've been dealing with it on my own for years so it's nothing new to me. Besides, everyone seems to hate me so being something other than myself seems like a good enough tactic."

"Okay, fair enough. I know I'm asking a lot of you by simply expecting you to accept my apology so how about we make a deal?" Quinn quickly added.

"Fine, if that's what it's gonna take for me to be left alone. Let's hear this deal of yours."

Quinn smiled. _She's giving me an in here; she won't know what hit her. _The blonde stood up to sit beside Rachel and held her hand. One perfectly sculpted and dark eyebrow shot up in confusion. "You let me prove to you that this isn't some high school bullshit and then you decide if that offer for friendship still stands. If you're not convinced I'll leave you alone."

She watched as the brunette thought about it and finally huffed a response. "Fine."

"Great!" Quinn went over to her duffel bag and started to rummage in search for her pajamas. Apparently she had forgotten them in her haste to get out of her house. "So I need to ask you something."

"What now?" The brunette answered a little irritated.

"Can I have some clothes to sleep in?"

"What? You think you're sleeping over?" Rachel questioned frankly surprised.

"Yes, you see? I invited myself over. I was going to tell you before but you screamed and I really thought that you or your aunt were going to call the police, I mean, you looked pretty mad after you got over the surprise of finding a stranger sit..hmpf"

Her rant was cut short by a pair of sweatpants hitting her right in the face. "And people say I talk a lot."

Quinn watched as Rachel made her way to the bathroom and locked the door. It was a start, it was going to be difficult but she was adamant in her idea of helping the petite girl out. She proceeded to change into the oversized sweats. _No way these are Rachel's, she's too tiny. Or maybe she likes to be comfortable._ After a few minutes the brunette came out of the bathroom with her freshly cleaned face and teeth so Quinn took her turn. Five minutes later she came out to find Rachel lying on her bed with her back to the door.

"Your phone buzzed."

Quinn went to see what it was about and rolled her eyes when she saw that it was a text from Sam.

**Hey babe! Where r u? I went by ur house 2 c if u wanted 2 hang out but ur mom said u were at a sleepovr or smthing. Y didn't u tell me? Call me when u get this, there was a partay 2nite…did u 4get?**

"Ugh…" _Clingy much? Can't you go alone?_

"Is it Sam or another one of the cooler persons at school?" Rachel said from her position. "Maybe you ought to be at some party having the quintessential teenage experience complete with alcohol and maybe even narcotics."

"Yes, I mean no…it's not what you think. I just…I hate it when people use text- speak. It's like they are so lazy they can't even be bothered to write properly. And no, I'd much rather be here with you than taking care of drunken and high teenagers" She quickly replied that she was tired and that she'd call tomorrow and tossed the phone back into her bag. She turned around and realized that Rachel was only occupying half of the bed. "Uhm…Rach…am I, you know…"

"I'm not infected you know? Unless you'd be willing to sleep on the floor, by all means, be my guest."

Without further argument Quinn pulled back the covers on the side she was going to occupy and slid in very carefully. She settled facing away from Rachel after fighting down the urge to just snake her arm around the smaller girl's waist and hold her tight. "Good night Rachel."

Before she drifted off to sleep she swore she heard a faint. "Good night Quinn."

She fell into a very peaceful sleep, until that is; she was woken up by sobs and whimpers coming from the girl lying right beside her. She turned around and debated over what to do. In the end she decided to wake the brunette up, she was obviously having a nightmare. "Hey Rachel?" She gave a light tug to the brunette's shoulder. "Rachel wake up, come on. Wake up."

Deep chocolate orbs snapped open and scanned their surroundings in panic. The petite diva shot up in bed and pulled her knees to her chest and then proceeded to hug them. "Quinn, I'm uh, sorry. I didn't mean to wake you." She scooted as far from the blonde as she could manage without falling off the bed while trying to calm her thundering heartbeat.

Quinn didn't move to touch the brunette but got a little closer just so she could see her face. "Rach, it's okay. It was just a nightmare. Everything's going to be fine. Just give it time."

The brunette looked up and got this look of being far away when she suddenly blurted out. "They're gone."

Quinn was surprised to say the least. She knew who was gone but still, it wasn't any less sad and heartbreaking. She really felt sorry for the girl. "Who's gone Rachel? What do you mean?"

"My fathers…" Tears started welling up in the girl's eyes. "…they're…dead. That's what happened, they've left me all alone now. That's what's wrong."

"Rachel, I'm so sorry." Not caring if Rachel wanted to or not, the blonde took her in her arms and started rubbing soothing circles onto her back. "Shhh, it's okay. I'm here and I won't leave you, do you understand?"

They stayed like that until the tears subsided and Quinn maneuvered their positions so they could lie down. When she moved to remove her arm from around Rachel, the tiny girl gripped her sleepwear tighter effectively pulling them closer. "Don't! Please…don't let go."

Quinn's heart broke a little further at the sight of Rachel. _Geesh! How much crap is she going to have to take for people to see that she is indeed broken? None if I have anything to do about it. _"Okay, I won't. You should get some sleep. I'll be here when you wake up."

Needless to say, Quinn found it extremely hard to go to sleep so she chose to watch the other girl in her arms. She looked more peaceful, serene even, but the blonde knew that it would all go away once the safety of sleep was abandonded. She thought about what she would do in the brunette's place. Certainly, her mother was not the perfect woman but at least she was trying and Quinn honestly couldn't imagine losing her now. She traced the curve of Rachel's jaw with a barely there touch. The girl stirred lightly but it was only to accommodate her neck further in the crook of a pale neck. _I really have my work cut out for me this time._

**A/N2: Hey guys! I looked back to the file I had uploaded for this chapter and the word count didn't add up. I remembered I had written a lot more so I double-checked and I had indeed messed up. It's mainly the same but with a bit tacked on at the end. Sorry and please review if you can. **


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N: Hey guys, sorry for the delay. Exams and school really have kept me occupied. I know it's the same excuse always but it's all I have right now. Uhm so this chapter moves forward with Rachel's POV and how she starts realizing that Quinn is for real. As far as the latest episode goes, let me say that I adooooore drunk Rachel hehehe oh and Brittany singing/dancing Ke$ha was just the coolest ever. This, like almost all of my chapters is not beta'ed so all mistakes are mine. Enjoy and if you have time don't hesitate to leave me a comment, suggestion etc. Cheers. **

The weekend went by in a haze for both girls. Quinn ended up staying over on Saturday too and only left Sunday afternoon because she had to grab a clean uniform from home and actually check back with her mom. Aunt Millie took an instant liking to the blonde and Rachel didn't bother clarifying the status of their relationship. What were they anyway? Faint, civil acquaintances? Friends? Frienemies? Quinn had left after saying thank you to the older Berry and a promise to pick the brunette up on Monday to go to school.

So Monday morning and here they were. Sitting in Quinn's car while staring at all the other students going in and getting ready for the day. "So, how are we going to do this? You go first and then me just so nobody else sees you with me?"

Rachel knew it was a low blow but she couldn't help herself. If anything, the blonde had proven beyond any doubt that she was sincere in her efforts of helping her. She couldn't explain it but after that first night where she just about blurted out the information about her parents and spent the night in the girl's arms Quinn had gotten under her skin somehow. Still, she would be damned if she believed in anyone ever again, Finn had made sure of that.

The blonde took a deep breath as if to calm the need to snap back, Rachel was really testing her patience but she had promised to be there for her and knew beforehand that it wouldn't be easy to get the girl to open up to her. "We'll do this however you like. I told you I'm not going anywhere so fight it all you want."

The brunette got out of the car and pretended to brush off invisible lint from her jeans and oversized sweatshirt. She was stalling really; she just wanted to see what Quinn would do. Not much to her surprise, the blonde got out almost immediately after her and circled the car to stand beside her and smiled. "Whenever you're ready Rach." _God! Does she have to be so charming? It's hard to keep hating her if she smiles at me and calls me Rach all the time._

"Fine then, let's go."

Both girls entered the halls of William McKinley High School and tried to ignore the stares. Head cheerleader and glee diva stopped at the blonde's locker so she could grab her books for first period and proceeded so the shorter girl could do the same. Conveniently enough, they shared that class.

Quinn leaned against the locker next to Rachel's while the brunette rummaged around it for something. "You don't have to wait for me to do this you know? I'm sure Sam is looking for you. I know he kept texting you over the weekend."

The blonde cheerleader rolled her eyes. "Nah, it's fine. I'll find him later." She didn't seem all that enthusiastic to talk about the blond boy so Rachel dropped the subject. She pulled out a binder with a huge gold star tacked onto the front and promptly ripped it off proceeding to crumple it and toss it on the floor.

The petite diva took a deep breath too steel herself for the day that was ahead and squared her shoulders. Turning to Quinn with a determined look tinged with a bit of sadness she stated. "Okay, let's get this show started, shall we?"

Unbeknownst to the little diva, the cheerleader bent down to pick the golden star and stuffed it between the pages of her calculus book before following Rachel's footsteps towards their classroom. It fell upon Karofsky's stupidness to try and bring the brunette down a little further, after all, he had missed his primary slushie target. He rounded the corner with a big cup full of the corn syrup beverage like a heat-seeking missile.

"Hey Berry! No skirt today? It's a shame you still look like a loser." He moved to toss the cup at the smaller girl and she just closed her eyes in preparation for the cold blast and ensuing stickiness that was to befall her.

It never came. Rachel, however, heard the jock gasp and yell. "What the hell Fabray?" It was followed by a low 'oooh' by some curious bystanders and laughter from the football player's friends.

Rachel was nonplussed as Quinn took her by the arm and started dragging her in the direction of the classroom, the boy's outburst ignored. "Hey! I'm talking to you blondie! Since when do you go around defending RuPaul?"

The nickname, which was entirely her fault, made her blood boil. She squeezed Rachel's arm a little harder than she should have because the girl visibly winced and said. "Quinn, let it go, we're going to be late to class."

Quinn ignored the girl's remark and turned to fix her signature ice-cold glare on the offending jock. "Rachel! Her. Name. Is. Rachel. Is it so hard to understand it Karofsky? Or were you perhaps dropped on your head as a baby?"

To say that Dave looked surprised was an understatement. After all, Quinn herself had ordered a lot of slushies on the brunette and came up with most of the nicknames too. "What?"

"Quinn…" Rachel spoke up but it was barely audible in the hope that the blonde girl would just drop it. They were getting far too much attention and Quinn knew it wasn't good, that the little starlet didn't need this but perhaps it was an opportunity to make a statement.

Turning around fast towards her, hazel and brown orbs locked in an intense stare that Karofsky and his jock friends mistook for one filled with animosity. "No, Rachel…"

"Shut up Berry you pathetic little…"

Karofsky never got to finish his sentence because Quinn turned around and kneed him as hard as she could. The boy went down in pain and the few people who were still in the hallway looked half surprised and half grateful that someone had finally done that. Next, Quinn just raised her voice so everybody else could hear her. "You see Karofsky, people? He's an example. So, I will only say this once. RACHEL BERRY IS OFF LIMITS. Kindly spread the word."

With that she turned in her classic cheerleader strut and this time took an utterly speechless Rachel's hand and started to walk towards their classroom. Needless to say, cell phones were already being drawn out to do just what the blonde had asked, spread the word. By lunchtime, no doubt the whole student body would have heard about Quinn's little outburst.

During class, a folded up piece of paper landed on the brunette's desk. _I'm sorry, I know I shouldn't have done that quite so…flashy but I needed him to back off. And everybody else for that matter so, if anyone gives you a hard time because of it you just tell me ok? It would be a total fail if my little show backfired so…Ok now I'm rambling so…yeah. _

Rachel looked up to meet Quinn's eyes and shrugged to let her know it wasn't a big deal. Class went on without any further communication between the two girls. When lunchtime rolled around the petite diva didn't feel like eating so she headed towards the auditorium. It was always deserted at this time and she could use some peace and quiet.

Approaching the piano she tapped a few keys. Lately, she hadn't been in a singing mood and normally that would have been worrisome in of itself but somehow she couldn't bring herself to care. She was so caught up in her musings that she ended up spending the rest of the day in there, she only noticed a bell ringing and she looked at her watch. Glee should start in a while and she didn't know if she was up for that yet. She was pondering her options when the door flung open and a cherry slushie covered Quinn Fabray entered running.

"Rachel! I've been looking everywhere for you! Are you okay?" The blonde had come to a stop in the aisle between the seats and was looking up at the brunette while the sticky syrup dripped from her cheeks and hair.

"Uh, yes, I am perfectly fine." A confused Rachel responded. _Who in their right minds would slushie her?_

She fought to regain her breath and leaned on one of the seats. "Good! Karofsky is so going to pay for this."

"Uh, Quinn? You really should wash that soon. Red stains."

The blonde looked ashamed for one second before schooling her features and glancing down her body at her once pristine uniform. "Yeah, I just wanted to find you so I kind of just ran towards the choir room and then here…I'll just…"

"I'll help you. Once could make a pretty convincing argument that I am indeed an expert in slushie removal."

_Great Rachel! She's been nothing but nice and wanted to find you first and you keep hinting at your past. _

"That's okay Rach, I'll do it, and if the stains refuse to come out I can always get a new uniform from coach Sylvester."

"Quinn, please…" The brunette insisted and joined the blonde girl only to take her hand and tug her in the general direction of the nearest girl's bathroom.

Once in the bathroom she had the blonde sit down and lie back so she could rinse the golden locks. "Wow, your hair is really soft…" The short dive stopped midsentence and looked everywhere but at the other girl while fighting a blush.

A sweet smile grazed the cheerleader's features and a blush crept up her neck too. "Thanks Rach."

"Anyway, I assume it was Karofsky who did this but why? I he really that dimwitted?"

The blonde snorted. "Yeah, I actually think he is but don't worry, I already talked to Santana and Puck, they said they would take care of him."

"Right, so can I ask you a question?" Rachel continued. She had noticed something in Quinn's demeanor during their previous encounter with the jock and was intrigued to say the least.

Quinn looked straight into those heart-melting brown eyes and said. "Of course, anything you wanna know you just have to ask." She gave a wink and a grin that widened when Rachel looked away shyly. _Well, she's got game. That much I can say. _

"Why don't you like it when people call you blondie?" She stated directly.

Quinn was taken aback by the inquiry. Not many people knew that about her, just Brit and Santana but they were her oldest friends. "Uh…I…"

"I'm just asking because earlier, when Karofsky said it you looked annoyed. I mean when he called me RuPaul I could see guilt and anger go through your eyes but when he called you blonde you were annoyed. I actually am rather impressed at the amount of emotion you eyes are able to convey because…"

As if suddenly realizing what she was saying, the petite diva closed her mouth and gazed at the floor. Quinn tucked a finger underneath her chin and tilted her head up until they were looking at each other. "Well you are nothing if not observant Miss Berry."

"Yes, it is a quality I very much pride myself in." Rachel smiled faintly and finished with the blonde tresses handing the girl a towel from her emergency slushie removal kit.

Quinn laughed lightly and took the towel to try and dry her hair as best as she could. "Well, to answer your question I don't like it because it's as if the color of my hair defined me in the eyes of most people. I'm the ultimate American girl right? Blonde, cheerleader, football player boyfriend, good grades, involved with activities in the school. It's like people don't expect anything but that from me and I know I'm more than that, or at least I try to have bigger goals…you know?"

It was a much deeper explanation than Rachel would have expected and she totally understood Quinn's point of view. "Wow, and people say I tend to rant a lot…" A pale arm nudged her. "But I understand where you're coming from and let me just say that you can be and do whatever you would like to do, for you the possibilities are endless."

The brunette really believed that Quinn was one of the few people destined to leave this town and actually do something of herself. The blonde turned as red as her cheerios uniform and said shyly. "Thanks, it means a lot coming from you."

This conversation was turning too deep for Rachel's liking so she quickly changed the subject. Quinn didn't have an extra change of clothes since a slushie facial was not common for her and Rachel's clothes simply didn't fit right. Any skirt that was short on the brunette's body would be positively illegal on the blonde's since she was a few inches taller. "You should go home, it won't be comfortable at all to sit through Glee practice in sticky clothes."

"No, don't worry, I wouldn't want you to miss it, I'm your ride remember?" The blonde watched the short girl carefully and she understood perfectly. "Unless you don't wanna go to Glee then we'll both leave."

Rachel sighed gratefully and nodded. "Yeah, I'm kind of tired to tell you the truth."

It was a lie; she didn't feel like she could handle the glee club and their constant and blatant disregard for her feelings today. Still, she felt that Quinn knew the truth but was completely grateful as the blonde nodded seemingly accepting her excuse and said. "That's settled then, we'll just swing by my place and I'll take a shower and change before taking you home and tasting Millie's famous lasagna. Is that okay? I don't know if your aunt checked if it was okay with you to have me over for dinner I mean we could ask her…"

"Quinn, it's perfectly fine." The brunette cut the rant short. "Although I can assure you that we'll end up ordering out. Aunt Millie is not exactly at her best in the kitchen no matter what she says. She's taking advantage because you're too polite to turn her down."

The blonde girl pulled her hair into a messy ponytail and laughed lightly. "As long as it doesn't cause food poisoning I'll try it."

Both girls laughed and exited the bathroom. They swung by the choir room and Quinn entered to talk to about them skipping this practice while Rachel headed towards the car and waited for the blonde. Quinn took the wheel and drove home.


	5. Chapter 5

**A/N: Hey guys! Here's next chapter. I'm trying to keep the sequence of POV's alternating between both girls but every now and then they might mix. I'll try to make them as clear as possible and maybe I'll add another character's POV. Quinn's bookshelf is my own and I'm not sure if I'm correct in assuming it's peculiar but that seems to be the general opinion hehe. **

**I really wanna thank you for all the reviews and alerts. On that note, I make it a point to personally answer all of them but I've had a few that were unsigned so I couldn't, I'd like to take this author's note to do that. Apparently there are two matters that you guys do not agree with and I'll try to provide my reasons for it. **

**First is the issue of the delays in posting times. I know that updates are far apart and that some writers post even when they've had surgery and other life complications. The only thing I have to say in my defense is that those people wouldn't have liked it if their doctor didn't pay as much attention as possible during class. Med school is extremely absorbing and I find myself literally squeezing my schedule for any precious free minutes I can seldom get. I CAN promise though that I will try to do a better job of it and post a little faster. There's no reason for me not to be able to do both. **

**Then there's the issue of my portrayal of Mr. Schue. Yes, he talks about them being a family. Yes, he tears up when they sing for him. But I (IMHO) feel he is just talk. If Emma says she likes Rocky Horror, thinks Britney is cool or that they have a lot of talent and should exploit it then he does it. Don't get me wrong, but I think he should have a different reason or something. Then, about the family stuff his actions don't add up. Santana and everybody else for that matter somehow bully Rachel and he does nothing. He doesn't even flinch and then he literally explodes at the girl and starts making all these character judgments. Anyway, that's just me…also there's a lot of creative license here. I may exaggerate in my portrayal of him and all the other characters just to suit my story. **

**Anyway, that's what I wanted to get out there. Please don't hate me. LOL As always, reviews are greatly appreciated but most of all, enjoy. Feel free to suggest something you'd like to happen and I'll see about incorporating it. Oh! And this is loosely proofed, all mistakes are mine. **

"This is your house?" A clearly stunned brunette asked gazing up at the lumbering house.

Quinn knew it was a more than okay house, it was certainly comfortable and spacious but it was not a home. She was not an ungrateful person and most of the time she felt a pang of guilt that she was not able to fully enjoy the luxuries she had been lucky enough to be born with even though in the affection department she had been dealt quite a crappy hand.

"Yeah, I know it can be…intimidating." The blonde said dejectedly.

"It's beautiful." Rachel was quick to add when she sensed the uncomfortable tone in the blonde's voice.

"That may be true but it's not nice, or cozy…anyway, looks like my mom is not home yet so let's just go up to my room."

Sure enough, the silver Lexus was missing from the garage, Judy Fabray was still at work. The taller girl guided the diva up a fancy-looking set of stairs and through a long corridor only stopping at the last door that was decorated with a WMHS flag. Upon entering, Quinn registered the tiny smirk threatening to break on the shorter girl's face.

"What? I expected yours to be Broadway extravaganza and you certainly didn't disappoint. What did you expect my room to look like?" The blonde's tone was light and teasing, keeping the mood from those deep places Rachel didn't like it to be.

"Honestly? I expected evidence of a Cheerio fairy with a flu having sneezed in here. I did not expect you to be so…geeky?"

The room was decorated with warm colors and comfortable-looking furniture. The four-post bed was at the center of it and at the head was what looked like a blown up picture of none other than the New York City skyline. Directly below the window was a sturdy looking wooden desk, very classic. To the side was a corkboard that had all kinds of things tacked on to it. Movie ticket stubs, pictures of the Cheerios, even one from glee. However, the piece of furniture that captured your attention was a bookshelf that looked like it would suddenly puke titles everywhere since books were tucked on every available space; it was the only thing that appeared a little out of order. The closet couldn't even compare, it was pretty simple for a girl like Quinn.

"Geeky? No, I'm…I…I', not g-geeky, I like to consider myself as a person of peculiar tastes." Quinn responded while she fought a blush. _Great way to plead your case Fabray, blushing-blubbering idiot!_

Eyeing the titles on the shelf and finding Dahl, the original tales of the Grimm brothers, Edgar Allan Poe just to name a few she cracked her first genuine smile in a while. "Peculiar, yes."

Maybe being teased wasn't so bad if it got Rachel to smile like that again. Quinn would gladly make that deal anytime. "Funny, I'm going to take a quick shower and change so we can go. Make yourself at home."

Quinn tried her hardest to make it a really quick shower; she didn't want to leave the brunette alone for any extended period of time if it could be helped. _Geez! It definitely qualifies as stalker behavior. _Coming out of the bathroom she spotted the object of her thoughts that was sitting on the floor flipping through a photo album. _Is that?...It is! Oh My God. Kill me now! _

"Hey! Having fun?" The blonde hoped to tear the girl's attention from all the pictures but it was no good.

"I like this picture." Rachel said holding said piece of paper up to the blonde's gaze. It was a photograph of the whole glee club at sectionals and they were happy. Quinn was actually smiling while cradling her bulging abdomen in her hands. Rachel was doing the same; only she was standing a little further apart from the then pregnant girl.

Quinn smiled warmly and stared at the picture before meeting brown swirls. "Yeah, me too. I'm just so glad that the baby waited until after our performance to make her entrance into this world."

At the mention of the little girl Rachel visibly deflated and sighed. "Well, considering who her mother and blood sister are, she had to make an entrance."

_Fuck! Way to go Fabray! Remind her of Shelby's rejection when she's already feeling like shit because of the loss of her dads. _"Rach…I-about that…I wanted to apologize."

To her surprise Rachel rested a hand on top of hers and actually smiled. "You keep apologizing Quinn, I feel like this…friendship can't move forward unless I make it completely clear that what is done is done and we should look ahead now."

The blonde girl blinked in amazement. _These mood swings are going to give me whiplash. _"Still, I feel the whole thing was incredibly unfair because we completely disregarded your feelings on Shelby adopting my daughter."

"She'll be a well-cared for baby that way, you were only making absolutely sure of that. Besides, Miss Corcoran gave me her reasons to not want a relationship with me when I stayed behind and you went to the hospital…after I asked her to be a part of my life again. I can take a hint."

_Miss Corcoran? Take a hint? I can't believe that woman! She rejected her again and then just went to the hospital to adopt my child! _"She what?"

"It's quite alright Quinn, I'm not even harboring any residual longing for my mother. It's just that with my fathers…passing…I don't know the legal ramifications of the contract they signed with her or whatever." As she said this, Rachel walked to the bed and started to curl up on herself hugging her legs.

"Rachel…" Quinn knelt down in front of the girl and demanded her attention. "No matter what happens you are not alone nor will you ever be. Alright?"

This time, a full-blown Rachel Berry smile grazed the girl's face. _Good, we're making progress. _Then, the smile turned into a mischievous glint of her deep brown eyes. "So…baby pictures. How is it that even as a baby your casual photos look studio-taken? I mean…" She held one up. "…this is like an ad for baby GAP!"

Quinn blushed and buried her face in her hands to try and cover the smile that broke out. "They do not! I just happen to keep the best ones in that album, hence the glee club one silly!"

Both girls laughed and for a moment, it seemed that things were not as somber as the circumstances that brought them together. Once the laughter had died down there was the sound of a slamming door. Judy was home. The girls decided to go downstairs and say hello.

They found the older Fabray in the kitchen putting away groceries. "Hey mom, sorry I didn't help you with the bags."

"Oh hi Quinnie! It's fine sweetie, I could carry them myself, that's why I didn't call for you to help."

The woman's eyes then landed on Rachel who was standing in the doorway shyly.

"And you must be Rachel Berry, the small girl that talks a lot and uses really big words right Quinnie?"

"Mom…" Quinn said blushing.

Rachel walked up to Judy and stretched her hand. "It's a pleasure to meet you Mrs. Fabray. And I have to admit that Quinn's description is quite accurate though the subject of my rather short stature is a sensitive one for me."

Judy shook the offered hand and smile. "Well, my daughter did also mention that you were incredibly charming."

This time, both girls blushed quite a few shades of red. _And that's our cue to get going before my mother embarrasses me any further._

"Okay! So, mom, remember I texted you that Rachel's aunt invited me over for dinner? I think it'd be best if we left now, maybe we can help with some of the cooking…or something." The blonde would've said anything to go as fast as they could.

"Sure I remember baby, have a nice night. Tomorrow I have a dinner meeting but I'd like to cook for you girls on Wednesday is that okay?" Unbeknownst to Quinn, Judy did notice that in her excitement for her newfound freedom she was now spending much less time with her daughter. And it was also an opportunity to get to now this girl who was obviously an important part of the younger blonde's life.

"What do you think Rach? Maybe you could also sleep over that day? But only if you'd like of course."

The brunette smiled, feeling extremely grateful for the cheerleader's thoughtfulness. "That would be nice Quinn. I'm sure my aunt Millie will grant me permission immediately."

Judy smiled and walked the girls to the door. The ride to the Berry residence was silent but only for the fact that Rachel started dozing off and it didn't take that long anyway. Quinn wanted to let her sleep as much as possible since she knew that the day though not particularly busy was a strain on the shorter girl's emotions.

When they finally arrived the blonde nudged the shorter girl awake and they made their way to the house. As soon as they opened the door they were assaulted with the smell of burned food. Rachel smiled widely. "Hey aunt Millie, we're home."

The woman appeared from the kitchen door holding what was supposed to be lasagna but looked like a giant piece of charcoal. _Oh my god! The pout is actually hereditary! _"I haven't the slightest idea of what went wrong."

Quinn laughed lightly at the woman's antics and said. "Don't worry Ms. Berry, I know of an excellent Italian place that delivers."

"Great! Give me the number and I'll call while you girls go up and get ready for dinner."

"Thanks aunt Millie." The older Berry properly greeted both teens with a kiss on the forehead and watched them ascend the stairs.

Once in the shorter girl's bedroom, Quinn dropped her bag next to Rachel's bed and went to wash up. She returned to find said girl wearing her comfiest and baggiest sweat pants already and the one's she'd lent the blonde over the weekend together on one hand.

"I-I uhm…thought that maybe…you know, that you'd like to sleep over. I mean…you wouldn't have to drive and it's a school night so we can do homework and then watch a movie. But I understand if you don't want to, you don't have your overnight bag…"

_I wonder if I can overdose on Rachel's adorableness. _"I would love to. Actually, I packed a bag this morning, it's in the trunk of my car."

Rachel's eyes widened and a smile formed on her face. "Ah! So you do want to stay and were just waiting for the invitation." She said teasingly.

Quinn blushed despite herself. "I was hoping for it."

"Girls! The food is here!"

Both teenagers responded in unison. "Coming!"


	6. Chapter 6

**A/N: Hey guys, here's the next installment. POV's are kind of all over the place in this one but I've made it so you absolutely know when it changes. My schedule will open up a little more next week and I have the outlines ready to start typing away the minute I'm free. I apologize for the Star Wars dorkiness but I am indeed a fan. Anyway, thank you to all who have commented, I think I've responded to every review but if I missed yours it was completely by accident (: As always I hope you enjoy this chapter and continue to leave me your thoughts on it afterwards. **

**Disclaimers: I realized I haven't done one of these but…I do not own Glee or any of its characters. **

"I still don't know why they filmed them backwards! So, Natalie Portman is Mark Hamill and Carrie Fisher's mom?" Rachel said midway through the film.

Quinn rolled her eyes playfully. "Yes, Rach. And the whole backwards thing just adds to the genius of it."

Quinn had been appalled to learn that the brunette had never watched the epicness that was the Star Wars saga. Deciding to put and end to that unfortunate situation, she made a quick run to the video store while Rachel finished up her math problems and came back with all the movies. They had managed to get to Episode V so far.

"Oh and Yoda is so cute." The brunette giggled.

"He's badass, not cute! He's the top Jedi Master!" Quinn said in a mock-annoyed tone.

"I know, I'm just kidding. I got it from the twenty times you've said it to me already."

"Yeah, I know." Quinn sighed contentedly and laid back further into the couch where both of them were sitting.

"Dork!..." Rachel muttered equally teasing and said. "I'll get you more popcorn since you seem so engrossed in your film."

The blonde didn't even bother to answer since her attention was already fully on the film again. However, no matter how much the brunette tried to stay awake, she was slumbering before the movie even ended. Somehow Quinn had managed to get her arm around Rachel's shoulders and now a brunette head was resting fully on her shoulder. _I hate to wake her up but we can't actually sleep on the couch. No matter how nice she feels in you arms Fabray! Be the bigger person! _

"Girls, maybe it's time for you to…oh." Millie came into the living room and noticed the already asleep girl.

"I think I'll try to carry her. As comfortable as I am right now she won't like it if she wakes up all sore from having to sleep here." Quinn said in stage whisper.

"That's very sweet of you Quinn. Do you want me to help you?" The older Berry said moving towards the sleeping girl.

"No, don't worry Ms. Berry. I spend my days lifting and tossing much taller girls into the air. Should be easy enough…I think."

Slowly and carefully the three women made it upstairs and Millie helped Quinn tuck the petite diva in and wished her good night. After her nightly hygiene ritual, Quinn joined the smaller girl on the other side of the bed. However, before she embraced the brunette and pulled her close she planted the quickest of pecks to her lips. "Goodnight angel." Her eyes widened for a second after realizing what she had done and said. _Crap! Pleasebetotallyasleep, pleasebetotallyasleep! _

The blonde held her breath for a few seconds waiting for a freak out from Rachel. She sighed, relieved when the other girl simply snuggled closer to her in her sleep. Nevertheless, as sleep was claiming the cheerleader she could've sworn she heard a whispered "Goodnight, Quinn."

Hours later, Rachel woke up because of an uncomfortable feeling of thirst. Almost immediately she noticed that she was enveloped in someone's arms and that someone was none other than Quinn Fabray. _God, she smells delicious! _The brunette chanced a glance at her bedside table clock and learned that it was barely 2:30 in the morning. With a smile she now admitted to herself what had been playing in the periphery of her consciousness for the whole weekend prior: sleeping in close proximity to the blonde cheerleader kept her nightmares at bay.

Deciding to get a glass of water she carefully disentangled herself from the blonde's embrace and padded slowly downstairs towards the kitchen. She remembered how her dads always got her a glass of water whenever she was sad and it made her feel better. Rachel had always been a bit naïve but she knew that such a thing was not possible, objectively. However, it was about how they went out of their way to care for her that did the trick and she couldn't help but wish that it actually worked and this time the liquid could soothe away the pain left by their absence.

Finishing off what was left of her glass she placed it in the sink and headed back upstairs. As usual, she passed by her fathers' bedroom door without looking at it and as quickly as she could without running. The brunette had yet to enter the room since Mrs. Howell had broken the news of her fathers' demise. She stopped at her door to take a deep calming breath and entered quietly. After checking that Quinn was still deeply asleep she headed towards the bathroom. She'd been there for a couple of minutes when she heard a soft knock together with the blonde's sleep-filled voice.

"Rach, are you there? Are you OK?" There was an undercurrent of concern even if it was only a whisper.

The petite diva opened the door and came face to face with the most adorable sight she had ever witnessed. Quinn was yawning and was at the same time trying to rub sleep from her partially closed eyes_. Could she be any more adorable?_ "Yes, everything is fine."

"I woke up and you weren't there so I got worried." Quinn said while she averted her gaze to look anywhere but at the shorter girl.

Rachel smiled and took Quinn's hand. "That's sweet of you. Come on, let's get back to bed."

The settled on the bed, Quinn spooning Rachel and the brunette took the blonde's hand and snaked a pale arm around her waist. The cheerleader intertwined their fingers and brought their joined hands to Rachel's chest. "Is this okay?"

Rachel didn't respond, she simply snuggled further into Quinn's warm body and sighed. They still had a few hours before they had to be up and ready for another day at school.

The next day, Rachel managed to get through all of her classes without braking down in tears. Taunts and insults were back as usual but she let them roll off her back focusing on the class work, she had already missed a lot. Midway through Math, which she didn't share with Quinn, she got a text from said blonde.

**Hey Rach! How is your day so far? I was hoping you'd meet me for lunch in the auditorium, what do you say? That lunch you packed for us today looks really good. **

A light smile broke out in the brunette's face. She completely abhorred text-speak; it was a personality quirk that she shared with the cheerleader. Rachel remembered that morning when they saw what aunt Millie had packed for lunch. As it was expected, Quinn took the brown paper bag and moved to keep it in her bag when Rachel snatched it away and proclaimed that she was the one in charge of lunches from then on. While the older Berry liked that Quinn was brave enough to want to try her concoctions, she didn't want to be responsible for inadvertently poisoning both teens so she let her niece pack the lunches. Rachel composed a response to the blonde as inconspicuously as possible.

**Hello Quinn, I really can't complain about my day. It's been nothing out of the ordinary though I find myself behind on some of the work. I would love to eat with you, I can only hope you like what I made. **

The response came in just a couple of minutes.

**Don't worry, if you need any help I will study with you and you'll be up to date in no time. Why don't we meet directly there when the bell rings? I'm sure it will be delicious. **

The girl sure was charming even in text. Rachel found herself anxious for lunchtime to arrive. _You are so weird Rachel, a few days ago you would've cringed at the mention of her name and now you just can't wait to spend time with her. _Ignoring her mental monologue, and probably an important exercise being explained by the teacher, she composed yet another reply.

**That's very kind of you, Quinn. I will meet you there.**

Right after she had sent the text the teacher spoke up. "Ms. Berry? Would you be so kind as to come up to the board and solve this next exercise for us?"

_Crap!_

A few minutes later, the blonde opened the door of the auditorium only to find it deserted. She really hoped that Rachel would be coming, she had agreed to meet her here but you could never know. Quinn walked up to the stage and hoisted herself up onto it without much effort. She let her legs swing a little as she busied herself with taking the food out of the neatly packed brown bag. _Not even my mom made them look so perfect._

"Hey Quinn." The brunette's voice carried easily towards the cheerleader who jumped a bit.

"Oh hey Rach! I'm sorry you just scared me a little."

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to be late. The teacher handed me some exercises to avoid detention that will also serve extra credit. Seems like I was…distracted in class." The brunette went up the stage and sat next to Quinn.

"It's okay." The blonde said with a smile and surged forward to pull a startled brunette into a hug. Immediately after pulling back, pale perfect skin became tinted with the cutest blush and gorgeous hazel eyes found something interesting in the hem of her Cheerios skirt.

Rachel could barely form a few words. "Uh…thanks for that." _Smooth Rachel, real smooth! She just hugged you! _

"Y-you're welcome…" _Quick Fabray! Think of something to change the subject. _"So, anyway…I wanted to talk to you about Glee club today."

"What about it?" The petite starlet asked curiously.

Quinn paused for a bit trying to find a way to say this. "Are you planning to skip it today too? I mean…there is nothing wrong with that but maybe it'd be good for you to be doing something you love so much as you love singing."

Rachel swallowed a mouthful of pasta salad before sighing and looking at Quinn with the most piercing brown orbs the blonde had ever seen. "I don't know Quinn, I'm not really sure if I'm ready to deal with it yet."

"If by 'it' you mean the rest of the guys you have nothing to worry about. I've already come to an agreement with Santana; she'll keep the girls at bay. As for the boys, that's on Puck." She gave an encouraging smile that must have failed since Rachel almost choked and a look of utter panic crossed her face.

"Y-y-you told them?" The brunette was nearly hyperventilating now and Quinn started to rub circles on her back while the smaller girl fought her attention. "About my dads?"

"What? No, Rachel, of course not!" Quinn understood the panic attack now. "You'll tell them that when and if you decide to do it."

Rachel took her time to calm her thundering heart and erratic breath. "But, if you didn't tell them how did they agree to help me then?"

"I asked them to, nicely. Despite our weird love-hate relationship, Santana is my best friend. And Puck, well he likes you, his fellow Jew and he's really not that bad when you manage to snap him into serious conversation mood." Quinn explained.

"Oh well, then maybe I should go today and see how things go?"

"It's your call but no matter what you decide I'll be there for you."

With that both girls finished lunch talking about everything and nothing at once. Talking about Star Wars and books and even about the math teacher that had singlehandedly commandeered Rachel's afternoon with his thousand exercises. Quinn promised to help with them though. Slowly but steadily, Rachel found herself feeling completely better about everything. That didn't mean that she wasn't sad, there was still a gaping hole left by her fathers but she was beginning to see that maybe she could walk around it and move on with her life.


	7. Chapter 7

**A/N: Hey! So here's next chapter! I'm excited 'cause it is the largest chap I've ever written for any of my stories! Yay! Also, how great were 'Get it right' and 'Loser like me'? Anyway, I'm trying something new here with a little bit of Santana POV and I dunno if I did it right so please give me your opinions. Also, there are more characters that are getting a bit of a louder voice but I'm just enjoying the development of Faberry for now. I promise I'll develop more of a dynamic between the glee club and both girls just bear with me please? As always, reviews are greatly appreciated but most of all enjoy. (: **

**Disclaimer: I do not own Glee or any of its characters. **

"Hey guys, so Rachel it's good to have you back!" Mr. Schuester said with his characteristic voice and went up to the white board where the word REGIONALS was written in bold red marker.

"I think I may have a tentative set list for the competition." The man said with a flare of Jazz hands.

Everyone's eyes lit up in anticipation, they all wanted a solo, their chance to shine. Mercedes saw Rachel's presence as a threat and wasted no time in ascertaining her unwavering belief in her talent.

"Mr. Schue, I think I should sing the solo this time. Rachel has failed to own up to her title as captain by skipping all the previous practices and..."

The latina rolled her eyes and scoffed. "Hey Beyonce wannabe! You want a solo? Earn it! Don't throw dirt at her to make you look good."

The other resident glee diva opened her mouth to say something but Mr. Schuester cut her off. "Santana is right Mercedes, but in the interest of being fair we'll hold an audition. How about that?"

"If she wants it let her have it Mr. Schue." It was almost a whisper and so uncharacteristically Berry that the Latina, along with everybody else, almost couldn't believe it.

Santana really doesn't hate the smaller brunette. In all honesty, she doesn't hate everybody as much as she tries to make people believe she does. Still, Q had asked her to take it easy on smurfette and to keep the rest of the general population off her tiny back. If it weren't something serious then she wouldn't have asked. If Thumbelina was cowering at Mercedes' jibes towards her professionalism and declining a solo then it was as serious as it could get.

Gasps and whispers could be heard from everyone. "Is this really happening? Could Little Miss I'm-better-than-anyone-else be rejecting an opportunity to get a solo?" Lauren piped up earning a glare from Puck that didn't really last that long but it was there.

"It's the apocalypse y'all." Artie supplied next to a frowning Brittany who elbowed him after the comment. Brit didn't like it when someone got hurt for no reason.

I saw Q's hold on Berry's minute hand tighten and the petite diva fighting back tears. "Hey people! As insightful as I find you utterly stupid and useless comments I'd actually like to submit myself for that audition."

Fine, so she did it just to annoy Mercedes but she wouldn't be Santana Lopez if she didn't get a kick out of giving other people a hard time just because she could. Besides, she had really liked performing 'Valerie' at sectionals; maybe she had found something she was truly good at other than cheering and being a bitch.

"Can we get on with practice Mr. Schue?" Puck said throwing a small smile in Rachel's direction. _Good, so Puckerman is also in on this 'Smurfette Protection Program' thing._ If he was on their side too then it wouldn't look so completely off base that Santana was suddenly defending the diva. She might have her friend's back on this one but there was no need to rattle the status quo so much so suddenly.

"Right guys so for the ballad I was thinking of Finn and Rachel doing a heartfelt song together. Maybe some Lady Antebellum?" Mr. Schue looked extremely pleased at his idea.

However, Finn, who didn't quite agree with the teacher's idea, snorted. "Oh, I don't know. Maybe you should ask Puck to do it since their VERY good friends and all. Better yet, ask Ken & Barbie to do it again."

"Hey! Chill man!" Sam said from his seat beside Quinn. The blonde girl had yet to say anything at all since both she and Rachel entered the choir room a while ago.

_God frankenteen really is a five year old at heart! _The Latina thought that all of this drama was getting old. As usual, she would have to kick some ass to get some actual results. "Shut it ladies! Now Mr. Schue..." I said turning to our curly-haired teacher. "…I know you have your ideas and all but maybe Finnocence is not mature enough to go through with it."

"You're one to talk about maturity Lopez! You emotionally retarded little sl..." The tall boy hadn't even finished his sentence before the fiery Latina had lunged for him. Thankfully Puck intervened before she could reach the tall teen but still, all hell broke loose and everyone started yelling.

"ENOUGH!" How that booming voice could come out of such a tiny body escaped Santana's understanding. Everyone became silent and looked at the brunette girl who was standing on her chair looking down on the other glee members.

"Rach…" Quinn timidly said while reaching for a small tanned hand.

"It's okay Quinn, don't worry." The brunette squeezed a pale hand and got down from the chair. She addressed their teacher that was simply staring wide-eyed at the girl. "Mr. Schue, while I appreciate greatly that you thought of me for the solo I must decline because I'm simply not in my best shape right now. I would only accept if I were sure I would be able to give a hundred percent for the task. Furthermore…" She then turned to look directly at Finn. "…I believe that I would not enjoy singing with you as long as you continue to make the kind of remarks you made earlier. I made a mistake, I said I was sorry, I cannot do much else should you wish to hang on to said mistake instead of my sincere apology."

_Wow, that girl's got some serious balls! She just verbally bitchslapped him…not that he noticed though, the comments went completely over his head. _Santana watched as the short brunette gathered her things and moved to leave the choir room. Quinn immediately went to follow but was stopped by her boyfriend. At this, Rachel smiled faintly at the girl and said. "It's fine Quinn, stay…I'll just wait for you in your car."

As she headed out, Santana caught Rachel's gaze and she saw something she didn't like. Defeat. Even after all of the years the Latina spent tormenting her, Rachel's resolve never faltered; until now. _Maybe, she finally snapped. _As shame coursed through her she tried to put as much feeling as she could into what she hoped was an apologetic look. The petite diva nodded minutely and closed the door behind her.

An entire hour later they were all still discussing set lists and potential solos. To say that Quinn was eager to leave was an understatement. She had obviously wanted to go after Rachel but Sam stopped her. He had been especially "stalker-ish" this week with his text and calls, demanding to hang out and stuff. The blonde figured that since she was indeed his girlfriend they were supposed to at least do something together once in a while. The truth was that Quinn couldn't care less about the blond boy knowing that Rachel needed her. Maybe it was harsh but a Fabray never sugar coats these sort of things.

"Okay guys, I guess that's all, you can go." Mr. Shcuester said excitedly and everybody moved to leave the room.

_Great! Time to go, I so want to try that Chinese place Rach said she orders from all the time. _As the blonde grabbed her things and moved to leave the room she felt a hand tug at her arm and turn her around. She then came face to face with a smirking Sam. "Hey babe where are you going? We were going to hang out after glee today did you forget?"

She had indeed forgotten. In her haste to start the movie last night she had agreed to spend time with him just so he would stop texting her and now she was, well…stuck. "No Sam, I did not forget, I just…I have some things I have to do."

His face immediately fell and a frown appeared on his face. He looked like a little boy and someone had kicked his puppy. _Crap! He's got the guilt thing down pretty good. _"But I they're not that urgent…" She sighed. "…just, let me get someone to drive Rachel 'cause I was her ride today."

Sam huffed but agreed to wait for her while she got things squared out. On her way out, the blonde cheerleader bumped into Finn. "Oh hey Quinn, I heard you talking to Sam. I'll take Rachel home."

Quinn wasn't pleased at this; he had a glint in his eyes that was off. "Uhm, no Finn, it's not necessary anymore, I'll drive her quickly and then meet Sam wherever it is we're going."

Finn leaned forward stepping into Quinn's personal space forcing her to take a step back. "I insist, really, I wouldn't want your date with Sam to be ruined or anything."

_Yeah right, keep pretending you're doing this for us. _Just then, Sam came out and asked with a little irritation in his voice. "Hey babe, what's taking so long?"

"Sam! I was telling Quinn that I heard you guys talking and I'd be happy to take Rachel home so you guys can go out."

_Ugh, this is so not happening. _"That's cool, so can we go now Quinn?"

"Fine, I'll just go tell her."

The two boys smiled and Finn spoke up. "Cool, I'll be waiting in my car for her."

Quinn found the brunette sitting on the hood of her car reading. _Oh god she looks really gorgeous. _"Hey Rach."

The petite starlet looked up and smiled. She closed the book and hopped down to the ground. "Hey Quinn, how was glee? Are you ready to go?"

The blonde sighed. "It was fine and no, I can't drive you home Rach."

"Oh, that's okay…"

Quinn approached her and gave her a one-armed hug. "Do you remember that I agreed to hang out with Sam for a bit after school just so he would stop bugging me yesterday?"

Realization dawned on Rachel's face. "Well, I do now. You forgot too didn't you?"

Quinn laughed lightly. "Yeah, but the thing is, Finn volunteered to take you home. Are you up for that? Because if you're not you can take my car and I'll come get it tonight, there's no problem." _Please say no, please say no._

The other girl seemed to genuinely be thinking about it. "It's not exactly what I'd choose to do but it's fine. My house is not that far."

"You don't have to do this Rach. I'll tell Sam to go put some more lemon on his hair or something. To tell you the truth, I'm not that comfortable with you being in close proximity with him after what happened in Glee." The blonde huffed.

Rachel took Quinn's hand that was lying on her shoulder. "I know, me neither but it's no big deal. Besides, if you have your car with you it'd be easier for you to go back home from wherever he's taking you."

She had a point. Otherwise she would have to either wait till he took her home or till her mother picked her up. "Okay. But if he gets weird you call me."

_If he gets weird? Come on Fabray! _ "Yes Quinn, I'll call you if he gets…weird." She punctuated the last word with air quotes and laughed.

"You know what I mean." Quinn shoved her playfully and walked her to the freakishly tall teen's truck.

"Hey Rach," Finn greeted both girls and threw Quinn a dubious look.

"Hello Finn, it's very kind of you to offer to drive me."

"No problem. Let's go." Finn turned and walked to the driver's side.

Rachel looked towards Quinn to say goodbye. "See you Quinn."

The blonde cheerleader couldn't shake off the feeling that this was off but there was not much she could actually do about it. Instead, she beat Rachel to the door handle and opened the door for her. "I'll call you tonight, 'kay?"

Quinn watched the truck pull out of the parking lot with an uneasy feeling in her stomach. _There is something wrong with this picture._ It may have been obsessive and freaky the way she was worrying about him driving Rachel but she had a gut feeling she couldn't explain. It was not jealousy…completely. Well maybe just a tiny teeny part.

She spotted the fake blond boy standing beside her red sports car and yelled. "Sam! Get in the car!"

The ride started out silent and awkward and showed no signs of improving. The radio was playing softly in the background, a Journey song at that, while Rachel looked through the window and Finn gripped the steering wheel. _Okay Rachel, just a few more blocks to your house and this will be over. Just keep staring out the window, isn't Lima gorgeous? Focus on Lima_. Suddenly, Finn slammed the brakes and if Rachel hadn't been wearing her seatbelt she would've become well acquainted with the windshield of the car. "What the fuck Finn?"

"Oh so now you curse too?" Finn spat angrily.

Rachel's eyes widened, he had a bit or trouble with controlling his rage at times and being in close confinements with him while he was this agitated was not a wise choice. He wouldn't actually hurt her on purpose but he tended to do things he regretted afterwards. "What's the matter?"

"I'll tell you what the matter is Rachel. First you cheat on me with Puck and then you keep chasing me trying to get my forgiveness and then you just disappear without so much as a second thought. And now you decide that you wouldn't even want to sing with me!" His face was all red and he was yelling now.

"Finn…calm down." Rachel said unbuckling her seat belt and turning fully towards him.

"Don't tell me to calm down! You've been playing with me this whole time. Now that you're all buddy buddy with Quinn you think you don't need me or something? Is that it?"

It was pointless to try and reason with him now that he was so completely off base so she just opened the door and hopped off the truck. She started walking off but he caught up to her slamming his door and startling her with the sound. "Hey, I'm talking to you!" He then grabbed her arm and she winced at the pain. Rachel, in all of her 5'2", was caught off guard by him so the force with which he made her turn around made her crash against the side of the car and fall down. In an attempt to break her fall she used the hand of her free arm and her wrist just ended up absorbing all the impact.

"Ow!" She said cradling her right hand in her left. She tried to hold back the tears but it did hurt so she didn't really succeed.

"Oh my god Rachel! I'm so sorry." _Well, at least he looks apologetic. _Finn looked a little pale to say the truth. "I didn't mean that…I" He moved to help her get up but she scooted as far away from him as she could.

"Don't touch me."

His face became angry again and he actually stomped his foot. "I was just trying to help you."

"I think you've done enough. Please leave me alone." Rachel said.

"Okay, fine."

With that he got in his car and drove away leaving her to stand up on her own. She thought about what she could do. He wrist hurt a lot and she was afraid that she had fractured something, it would be best to get to a hospital at least to get some pain medication. Aunt Millie was still at work so she would have to call Quinn. She hated the idea of bothering the other girl since she had recently gone out of her way to accommodate Rachel but there was no other option seeing as the blonde was indeed her only friend at the moment. Kurt was all the way at Dalton and he didn't know about the situation anyway. So, she dialed.

Back in Sam's place Quinn was fighting a losing battle trying to focus on the movie and not on her cell phone. They decided on Avatar, both of them were dorks. It was something that brought them together in the first place.

"Can we please watch the movie? I thought it was like your favorite or something." Quinn said fending off yet another attempt of Sam to initiate a make out session.

"It is but…I…is it so bad that I wanna kiss my girlfriend?" The boy said defensively.

Quinn rolled her eyes at him and her cell phone ringing cut off her response. She looked at the caller ID and felt a flash of panic course through her. _I swear if you hurt her Finn you're gonna pay. _She got up and went to the bathroom to answer without having to worry about Sam overhearing their conversation. Sam paused the movie and went to the kitchen to get something to eat.

"Rachel are you okay?" Concern was etched clearly in her voice.

"Uh…define okay." Rachel tentatively said.

"Rachel…"

"It was an accident, he didn't mean it. Though I have no medical training whatsoever I'm afraid I might've fractured my wrist. It most definitely hurts as if it were the case. I hate to bother you anymore than I already have but aunt Millie is at work and…well, I need a doctor."

"Where are you? I'm coming right now."

"I'm on the corner of Atlantic and Vine." Rachel said.

"Okay, I'll be there in five. God I can't believe he did this. I shouldn't have let you ride with him."

"Quinn, it was an…" Rachel started.

_I'm going to kill him! _"An accident my ass Rachel! He even left you there!"

"I told him to leave."

_Asshole. _"Okay, just…wait for me there."

"Thank you." With that the brunette cut the communication.

The blonde cheerleader came out of the bathroom and grabbed her stuff. She bumped into Sam who was on his way back from his kitchen with a bowl of popcorn. "You're leaving?"

She noticeably rolled her eyes. "Yes, Rachel needs me."

He scrunched her brow in confusion. "Okay, so Rachel needs you and you were going to leave without even telling me?"

"Sam I don't have time for this!"

"But…" His mouth flapped uselessly and she just huffed and turned to the door.

"We'll talk later okay? Bye!" Quinn yelled halfway towards her car leaving a dumbfounded Sam staring after her.

Quinn was a good driver most of the times. She stuck to the rules and did everything by the book but this time she made it to Rachel in record time. Luckily, Lima was such a small town and traffic was never really an issue. She found the girl exactly five minutes sitting on the sidewalk cradling her right hand in her left like a wounded wing. "Rach!"

Rachel looked up at the sound of Quinn's voice and for the second time that day, the blonde girl couldn't help but think that she looked gorgeous. Even though she could do without the pain the petite singer must be feeling right now. She got out of the car and went over to the brunette. She helped her stand up and hugged her gently only to pull back and wipe at the tears that were falling from beautiful brown eyes. "I'm sorry Quinn, I seem to be incapable of controlling my tear production when you're around me. It's just…it hurts."

The blonde cheerleader smiled and took the wounded hand gently in hers. It felt hot to the touch and was actually swelling a little bit. _Damn you Hudson!_ She helped Rachel get in the car and went around to the driver's side. "It's okay. I'm here now. I'll take you to the hospital and deal with Hudson later."

"I told you…it was…" The diva started.

Quinn started the ignition. "An accident, yeah I know. Most accidents can be prevented Rach. And I'm going to make sure he knows that." With that she drove off to Lima Memorial Hospital.

**A/N2: I got a review pointing out some mistakes in POV I had made. I didn't proof this so they were indeed all mine. Anyway, I tried to get them all. I hope I did. (: **


	8. Chapter 8

**A/N: Hey guys! Let me tell you that you've been awesome with the response to this fic, I really appreciate all the reviews, alerts and so. I'm succeeding in making them longer so I'm proud of myself for that hehe. (: I have two big tests this week so I won't have time to work on the next one right away. I hope you like this one and forgive any possible mistakes, especially with the legal stuff. I will explore that deeper in the next chapters but I mention it here too. It is loosely proofed. **

**Disclaimer: I do not own Glee or any of its characters. **

_That's why you should listen to your gut Fabray! You knew something was off and now she's hurting. _The tears streaming down the petite brunette's face were silent but they were still enough to break anyone's heart. Rachel had taken the time to call her aunt who worked in Columbus and tell her what had happened. As it was to be expected, the woman freaked and wanted to drive immediately back to Lima. It was only after Rachel's insistence that she agreed reluctantly to finish up some loose ends at work before heading back home.

When they finally got to the hospital, Quinn killed the ignition and moved to chivalrously help the girl out of the car. "Quinn, please, I hurt my wrist but I can still walk."

Risking a glance at the brunette's face she could see that it did not betray any obvious signs of anger, but her tone was too flat to decipher what was behind that particular statement so Quinn took it as a sign that she was mad. The blonde backed off from the shorter girl as though she had been burned. "I…just…I'm sorry."

To her surprise the petite singer just laughed. "Relax, I was just trying to make a joke and I see my attempt failed. I could practically see the wheels turning in your head the whole ride and I just want to take the opportunity to make this completely clear beyond any shadow of a doubt. This was an accident, therefore, it was most definitely not your fault."

Quinn smiled and shook her head slightly. It suddenly occurred to her that she could simply use the injury as an excuse to intertwine their hands and walk towards the ER entrance. So she did.

"Rachel darling! What's wrong?" Helen, an ER nurse who had worked with her daddy for years and knew her since she was a baby, asked worriedly when the two girls entered the hospital.

"Oh, hi Helen. It's nothing, I fell down." Rachel said accepting the hug the older woman gave her happily.

"Oh ok, just let me page Dr. Albright and we'll get you some meds." The nurse said before walking away quickly to the nurses' station to call for an ortho consult.

"They know you around here." Quinn said commenting on the immediate concern shown by the woman.

"My daddy used to work here." Rachel said in a whisper.

Quinn remembered that in elementary school whenever they had to do a composition on their families Rachel would be so proud of mentioning that her daddy was a doctor. _"He saves people's lives. Only he's extra special because he takes care of their hearts and fixes them." _ One thing was for sure; he raised a daughter with the most forgiving heart Quinn had ever encountered.

Someone pulled on the curtain snapping both girls out of their daze. "Hello Rachel, I'm Dr. Albright and I'll be your doctor today. Nurse Nichols tells me you fell down?"

"Yeah, I hurt my wrist."

Dr. Albright was a young blond man with piercing blue eyes that at the same time were very kind. He proceeded to try and make Rachel do some exercises with her hand but the pain didn't let her. "Okay, at first glance it looks like you might have a hairline fracture of one of your carpals. I'll write an order for pain medication and an x-ray so we can be sure and then decide what kind of immobilization you will need."

"Thank you Dr. Albright." The brunette girl responded.

Before he left he put a hand on her shoulder and said in a very sincere voice. "Listen Rachel, I know you probably don't need people reminding you of your parents but your father was a great man and doctor. I'm relatively new to this hospital and he taught me a lot in the short time we worked together. I'm deeply sorry for your loss."

The short girl gripped Quinn's hand who was simply trying to stay out of the doctor's way while still being there for Rachel. "Thank you." Really, what else was there to say?

With that the doctor left and Helen returned with some pills that she promptly made the brunette take. "Here sweetie, these are some anti-inflammatory meds along with some pain killers. Someone will come down to take you to radiology in a few minutes."

"Thank you Helen, for everything."

"You're welcome sweetie. Listen, I have to take care of some patients because we're seriously understaffed today, will you be okay if I leave for a while?"

"Yes, don't worry. Quinn's here."

The woman looked at the blonde girl standing there just holding Rachel's hand. "Hello there, sweetie. You must forgive this old lady for being so rude and ignoring you like that, I was just really worried about Rach."

"It's okay ma'am, I was too. I'm Quinn Fabray, Rachel's…friend." She took note of the light sparkle that ignited in the girl's deep brown orbs and something else she couldn't quite define before extending her hand towards this woman who was clearly someone important for the brunette.

"Nice to meet you Quinn. It's very nice of you to go to all this trouble of getting her here." The woman took the offered hand and shook it lightly.

"It was no trouble at all, she needed me so I'm here for her. If you have to go it's fine, I'll make sure she's okay." The blonde girl supplied with a smile.

"Very well then. I'll be back to check on you sweetie."

With that, the woman left them and it took five minutes for someone to take Rachel up to radiology. Since she was not family, Quinn stayed behind much to both girls' disappointment. With nothing to do but wait she decided to call her mother and let her know that she'd be getting home a little later. To her surprise, Judy was more concerned about Rachel's wellbeing than she'd originally expected. It was a nice side of her mother to see, that surfacing of maternal instincts that for the most part, were foreign on a Fabray.

To her dismay, she also got quite a few messages from her boyfriend asking what was going on and that they needed to talk as soon as possible. For starters, Quinn was never one to be controlled or kept tabs on so she hated the way he made it seem like it was her obligation to be with him at all times and if she wasn't to always let him know where she was and who she was with. Then, if you took into consideration the feelings she had been harboring for a certain brunette for quite sometime, things were not exactly looking up for young Sam Evans.

In the beginning of their relationship the blonde genuinely cared for the boy. He was a dork and she was a closet dork so they had lots of things in common. Eventually, the interesting and vibrant talks fizzled into never-ending rants on calorie counts and exercise routines. Romantic, spontaneous dates became routine. Not to mention it was getting to be increasingly difficult to stop him whenever they started kissing because he immediately deepened it looking for more.

She decided to ignore the many texts she was getting from him and concentrate on Rachel. _He, like you could think of anything else when she's around you Fabray! _It was a full ten minutes before the petite diva was back from radiology.

"Hey!" The shorter girl said before climbing onto her bed.

Quinn smiled at the adorableness. "Hey yourself. Everything alright?"

"The doctor's coming to tell me what we're going to do."

As if summoned, the young doctor came in holding what she assumed were Rachel's x-rays.

"Seems I was right. You do have a hairline fracture of your scaphoid bone but it's nothing you can't fully recover from in a few weeks. We'll just have to put your arm in a cast for a few weeks but it won't be above the elbow. I'll give you a recipe for some pain killers should you feel uncomfortable by your injury. Do you agree?" He smiled gently at the girl.

"Yes, it sounds pretty straight forward to me."

"Okay then so I'll sign your discharge papers and I'll see you in a few weeks. It was good meeting you Rachel."

"You too Dr…"

The man cut her off. "Jason, friends call me Jason." With a smile he said goodbye to both girls and left.

It didn't take long for them to be back in Quinn's car and heading towards the Berry house. There was just the issue of the absence of a responsible adult to sign the discharge. In the end, Helen signed it claiming that she was practically family to the girl and they were off.

"I wish you didn't have to take care of me like this." Rachel said as Quinn helped her out of the car and took her bag and books to take them inside the house.

The blonde's face immediately fell and her heart thudded heavily in her chest. "No, that didn't come out right…I-I-I just don't like the idea that you have to be constantly walking on eggshells around me. Like I could break at the slightest touch."

Quinn understood what she meant. "Hey, look at me…" They stopped and the cheerleader hooked a finger under the brunette's chin and brought her face up so she could see her eyes. "…I don't mind taking care of you, I actually like doing it, and it's like my favorite thing to do now. So please don't feel like you are a burden or that you're somehow bothering me because you're most definitely not. Okay?"

_Great, did you really have to say all of that you dumbass? You scared her off for sure! She's gonna think you're a stalker! _The brunette valiantly fought a blush and lost but didn't say anything back after Quinn's little confession.

"So I guess I'll see you tomorrow. I'll pick you up for school. Don't forget mom's cooking for us."

"Yeah, see you tomorrow."

With that both girls parted feeling a little better about things.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Aunt Millie's car was not in the garage yet so Rachel went up to her room to get started on her homework. She thanked the powers that be that she had already overcome a situation in which her right arm had been put in a cast and therefore, had learned how to write with her left hand. Her fathers had been amused and said that her teachers would more than likely understand if she were to hand in assignments a little later than requested. Rachel, ever the perfectionist, wouldn't have it so she practiced until you could no longer she was not left-handed since birth.

_Ugh, I have to get Quinn's help on these equations. _The mere thought of the blonde brought a smile to the brunette singer's face and a blush once she recalled what had been said by the blonde earlier. You could say Rachel Berry was many things but stupid was most definitely not one of them. The cliché of it all did not escape her either. Rachel had feelings for her former arch-nemesis and now knight in shinning Cheerios uniform. She also had a sneaking suspicion that those feelings were reciprocated to some extent.

_Come on Rachel! Get real! Quinn Fabray is as straight as they come. _"You're crazy. Math has succeeded in making you lose your mind." As soon as she said those words her phone alerted her to a new text message.

**Hey! How are you feeling? I hope that a little better. Mom said to ask you if you had any specific request for tomorrow. I already told her you're a vegan but she won't listen so…do you? –Q**

The petite diva took a minute to reflect on the fact that it so was not fair that Quinn was this charming even over a text message. She quickly composed a reply.

**I'm okay. The painkillers are working. Please tell your mom not to go to any trouble, I'm sure I'll like whatever she cooks. –R**

**Do I have to remind you that it is no trouble at all? Because if I do, I'll gladly tell you over and over until you believe me. –Q**

Rachel's heart did a little back flip at Quinn's acknowledgement of their previous conversation.

**Okay fine, I believe you. I will however, think of something to repay you for everything you've done for me. -R**

The next text took a little bit longer to arrive.

**I could think of a few things ;)…but if you must, then I'd settle for a batch of your famous 'I'm sorry' cookies. –Q**

_Is she flirting with me? Oh God! She is! She's even using smileys for crying out loud! Okay, calm down Rachel. Be cool._

**If that's all it takes then consider it done. –R **

**It will do…for now. So, how's your Math homework doing? –Q**

Rachel knew what this was. She had done it countless times with Finn, coming up with whatever popped into her mind first so the conversation wouldn't have to end. This idea left her feeling positively beaming and downright giddy. Quinn Fabray was looking for excuses to talk to her.

**Terrible, equations are not exactly my forte no matter how hard I try. I'm inclined to give up. –R **

She wasn't exactly lying but she couldn't deny that she'd thrown that out there in hopes that Quinn would offer to help her. Sure enough, the blonde didn't disappoint.

**Awwww, I can actually imagine you pouting while you wrote that. Never fear, I shall save you. I'll call you later and we can go over them together, sounds good? –Q **

Rachel grinned.

**I will forever be in your debt. –R **

**Sweet! More cookies for me. Her Rach, mom's here. I'm going to go but we'll talk later okay? –Q **

**Okay, say hi to her for me will you? –R **

**Will do, bye xoxo (: -Q **

She pocketed her phone again and looked towards her algebra book. "I won't be able to concentrate now."

She decided to go downstairs and get started on dinner. They really didn't need another of aunt Millie's cooking disasters and the woman was due back home anytime now.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

"Mom, what's all this?" Quinn asked surprised at the amount of groceries her mother had purchased.

Judy rolled her eyes playfully at her daughter. "It's for Rachel sweetie."

Hazel eyes widened at the response. "You do know how tiny she really is right? No way she's going to eat all this."

"No silly, not all of it is for today. With her being vegan and all I just wanna be prepared for whenever your girlfriend visits us." Judy said walking towards the kitchen.

In her surprise, Quinn dropped the bags she was carrying and just stood there gaping at her mother's retreating form. "Hurry up with that Quinnie!"

Once in the kitchen, the younger blonde asked timidly. "Mom, a-a-about earlier? You meant g-g-girlfriend as in a friend who happens to be a-a girl, right?"

Judy gave her daughter a knowing look. She knew that growing up with an overbearing father like Russell and an absent mother like her had made her daughter leery of trusting people. Still, she would try her hardest to let Quinn know that she wouldn't leave her, ever. She decided to let Quinn determine the pace at which she shared her feelings with her mother.

"Yes Quinnie, that's what I meant." The girl visibly relaxed and Judy's heart broke a little more.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

"Hey sweetie. How are you feeling?" Millie found her niece in the kitchen cooking dinner of all things. "Should you be doing that?"

"Hey aunt Millie. I'm feeling better and the doctor said I couldn't do any heavy lifting. I doubt the spatula qualifies as such. The doctor said he'd ordered my cast not to include the thumb so I wouldn't feel so helpless.

Both Berry women hugged and Millie moved to set the table. "Gosh, I'm so sorry I wasn't there for you baby girl. Helen called me to explain everything and to tell me all about the problem with your discharge."

"Don't worry, I understand. Helen took care of it at the hospital." Rachel said sincerely while putting the food on the plates.

"I'll get those." Millie got the plates and brought them to the table. The both sat down to enjoy their meal.

"So, how was your day?" Millie was a book editor and she worked at a company based in Columbus.

"Good, pretty good actually. I was offered a promotion."

Rachel smiled. "That's great! Congratulations!"

"Well, I haven't taken it yet. God, this thing is delicious!"

"Thanks, it's vegan casserole. But, why not?" Rachel asked genuinely confused. Miillie was good at her job and she enjoyed it greatly.

"I needed to ask you first." The woman got serious all of a sudden.

"Okay, I ask again, why?"

Millie sighed. "Sweetie, you now that I'm your legal guardian and have control over your trust fund and inheritance until you turn twenty one, right?"

Of course Rachel already knew all of this. Her fathers always said it was better to be prepared so they had made all the necessary arrangements to ensure that Rachel would be taken care of. "Yes, I am aware of the arrangements."

"Okay, good. Now, this promotion would require a move…here, to Lima."

In that split second of doubt, Rachel's heart stopped beating in fear that her aunt was saying that they were moving. Then it started back up ten times faster at the thought of having aunt Millie here with her, always. "You wanna move? Here?"

The girl was obviously surprised. "Yeah, if it's alright with you."

Rachel immediately squealed and jumped off her chair to wrap her aunt in a hug. "Of course, that you would even think t leave your life behind to come live with me here means the world to me."

Millie rolled her eyes at her niece's antics. It wasn't like she was moving to another continent or something. Besides, the benefits on this position greatly outdid ones she already enjoyed. "Of course kiddo, it's you and me against the world now. 'kay?"

Rachel only nodded. "But there's more."

At this, Rachel let fo of the death grip she had on her aunt's neck and sat back down in her place. She was anxious to know what the woman had yet to say. "Okay, I'm ready."

At the spoken confirmation, the older woman took a deep breath and held it for a few seconds before releasing it slowly. "I want to file to be granted full custody."

Rachel knew that look. Hell, she had perfected it over the years. "Aunt Millie, what's this about?"

The woman stood up and went to retrieve her suitcase from work. She got a folder out and slid it over the table towards Rachel. "It's Shelby, she…she's filing to get the contract she made with your fathers annulled and to get full custody of you."


	9. Chapter 9

**A/N: I'm officially on Easter break after a few weeks from hell at school and life in general. I know it's not much of an excuse but it's all I have. This chapter was a little bit bumpy to write and I'm still not that convinced about it. I'm going to improve it and may re-post it later this weekend. I w****ill once again thank you for all your reviews, I really appreciate them. Shelby won't be the bad guy she's just going to take some time to come to an understanding with Rachel and Millie. I'm planning Jerk!Sam and some Santana/Quinn friendship goodness. I'm using Brit's rejection of the Latina in this but I love them together so they will be an item eventually. Please bear with me, sorry for any spotty editing beforehand. I really hope you like it and please, if you have suggestions don't hesitate to tell me either. As always, enjoy. **

**Disclaimer: I do not own Glee or any of its characters. **

"So, she wants custody now?" Quinn asked disbelievingly.

Both girls were in the blonde's room waiting to be summoned to dinner; it was Rachel's turn to stay over. The brunette was relaying what aunt Millie had said the previous night. Still, the blonde knew that despite the air of calmness she wanted to project, the petite diva was afraid. This made her want to punch Shelby and hopefully she'd have literally beat some sense into the woman.

"Yes, pretty much, at least that's what aunt Millie said. With my fathers' death she seeks the annulment of the contract she signed with them and claims aunt Millie is too young so she's not fit to be a single parent so she wants full parental rights." Rachel said with a dejected face. Yes, Millie was young but that had nothing to do with her ability to take care of her.

"She's got balls, I'll give her that." The blonde huffed.

"Quinn, language." The brunette admonished as usual.

The blonde sat up in bed and made Rachel do the same so they were sitting Indian style facing each other. "Sorry Rae, but you'll see, it will all work out. If you want I can even go talk to Shelby so she backs off a bit?"

Rachel smiled knowingly and took Quinn's hands with her uninjured one. "Oh, you mean like you were only going to talk to Finn earlier today?"

The blonde cheerleader blushed and brought their joined hands up to her face to cover her eyes. "He so had it coming! He hurt you! I know you'll say it was an accident for the millionth time but still, he has to know that sh...stuff won't fly anymore. He hurts you, I hurt him."

xxxxxxxxxxxx

"Q, seriously, cut the midget-staring fest! It's creepy!" An irritated Latina said before slamming her locker door shut after stashing away her books.

The sound startled the blonde who had been busy observing (not staring) the little brunette who was keeping her own textbooks in the locker across the hall. She had worn short sleeves today to make it easier with the cast that made the little musical notes Quinn drew on it this morning visible to everybody. It amazed her how the petite diva could have that thing hindering he movements and still pull off a certain air of grace about them.

"San, be nice, Rachel's hurt and do you remember how nice she was when I got chickenpox?" A taller, blue-eyed blonde said innocently and Quinn just smiled, Brit was always Santana's undoing.

"You're right B. Hey Fabray! Heads up, frankenteen approaching the dwarf."

Quinn's eyes snapped towards the pair. "Oh no way!" The Latina took Brittany's hand and they both took off for practice that was starting in a few minutes.

The blonde was relieved when Rachel hurriedly closed her locker and started walking away from the boy after exchanging just a few words. To her dismay, however, the boy grabbed her arm and yanked her back towards him. _Ugh, what's with the violence Neanderthal? _She started walking towards them and she could make out a few words the boy was saying.

...get real Rachel, she's been a bitch to you forever and now all of a sudden she's your best friend? Face it, Quinn is just using you but I can protect you if you just...I'm sorry okay?"

Quinn was beyond pissed by that comment so she shoved the boy against the lockers and snarled at him. "A word Finn?"

The blonde pulled a surprised quarterback into the nearest empty classroom and stopped Rachel from following them. "I just wanna talk to him I promise."

She closed the door and turned to an angry looking Finn. "Okay Hudson, what's your damage?"

"What the hell are you talking about Quinn? I was trying to get her back! I love her!"

The blonde snorted. "Oh! Was that before or after you broke her wrist?"

"It was an accident!" The boy immediately went into defensive mode. "Besides, who the hell are you to tell me that I should treat her right? You've been nothing but the biggest bitch in the world to her."

Quinn stepped right into his personal space and punched him square in the face. "You think I don't know that? I feel like crap every single time I remember how I treated her for no reason but I'm trying to fix it. So, listen to me very carefully Finn..."

She glared down at the boy who was whimpering on the floor while a trickle of blood dripped through his fingers that were pressed against his face. "...back off! I don't wanna say this twice."

With that the blonde left the whinning boy and closed the door behind her. Rachel was going to be so mad at her because she generally rejected violence but the guy deserved it.

xxxxxxxxxxxx

"Okay Rambo, you get really protective, I'd never guess that about you." Rachel said in a teasing tone while trying to lower their still joined hands.

Quinn sat up straight and looked quizzically at the brunette. She responded to the confused look on those beautiful brown eyes. "I'm trying to figure out if you just insulted me."

A few seconds passed while both girls stared into each other's eyes before they cracked up and ended up in a fit of giggles. "I was joking! I promise."

"You should've seen your face, you thought you were in trouble!" Quinn said between gasps for breath. Before she could compose herself, Rachel threw a pillow right to her face and the battle was on.

Quinn tackled the brunette onto the bed and began tickling her mercilessly. Rachel squirmed helplessly while her good hand tried unsuccessfully to peel the offending hands from her sides. "Please, Quinn stop!...I-I give up just…stop!"

"Rambo would never back down and I'm Rambo remember? Though I personally like Rocky better." Quinn responded nonchalantly while she continued her assault with little to no effort with the added help of Rachel's movements being hindered by the cast.

However, even with that particular limitation, Rachel still had some pretty strong legs. _Never mind they are also sexy as hell and somehow endless. _The brunette was using that advantage to try and move out from underneath the blonde. Suddenly, pale fingers closed in on both of Rachel's wrists and pinned them down to the mattress above her head. Their bodies were now flush against each other with the blonde supporting most of her body weight on her knees at both sides of the brunette.

Hazel eyes locked with deep brown ones and something appeared there that the blonde could not quite define but it was gone in an instant. "I-uh…sorry Rach."

_Move you idiot! You're in her personal space. _Quinn's brain and body seemed to have lost the connection because she stayed right where she was despite her mind yelling at her to move. "It's…it's okay. I guess it's fair to say that you have an unfair advantage."

"Can I tell you a something?" The cheerleader said in the lowest voice she had ever used.

The brunette shut her eyes tightly at the sound of Quinn's voice. "Uh…ye-yeah."

Quinn couldn't explain for the life of her what had gotten into her to make her so bold but she lowered her head to the brunette's ear and whispered. "You have deceptively strong legs."

_Did she just moan? She totally did! Score for Fabray! God, why am I thinking like a horny fourteen year-old boy? Whatever! She moaned! _Quinn pulled back slightly and smiled at the sight of a blushing diva. She gently released the hands she'd been holding and they immediately went to rest behind her neck. Their faces were so close they were actually sharing a breath and Rachel tugged bringing them impossibly closer still. Quinn knew what was going to happen, she was going to finally kiss Rachel. _Wait what? Finally? Yeah, finally. Thank god for breath mints_

It was going to happen but of course, it had to be interrupted by her mother who, seconds away from the union of their lips, decided to yell. "Girls! Dinner's ready."

Quinn jumped back so suddenly that she lost her balance completely and fell off the side of the bed. "Ow!"

The brunette laughed. "Quinn, are you okay?"

The blonde got up and blushed at her clumsiness. She found out that her legs refused to work properly and had to sit down for a second. "Yeah, I'm okay. Just give me a minute."

Rachel opened her mouth no doubt to try and discuss what was about to transpire between them but another call from Judy had both girls downstairs and ready to have dinner. "I hope I didn't completely ruin this dish Rachel. Quinn told me you're a vegan."

The girls smiled politely and took her seat beside Quinn while Mrs. Fabray sat at the head of the table. "Thank you Mrs. Fabray. You shouldn't have gone to any trouble."

The older woman smiled clearly pleased by the manners the brunette girl was displaying. "Oh nonsense, and please call me Judy. My daughter has told me so much about you."

Quinn dropped her fork and it clattered noisily on her plate. Rachel's gaze turned amusedly towards the now blushing blonde. "She has? I hope she's told you only good things about me."

"Oh she has, she really has. I don't think I've ever heard so much about a friend of Quinn's in her entire life."

The mentioned girl coughed rather loudly pulling the attention towards her. "Quinn is sitting right here thank you very much."

"Sorry sweetie, you're right. So tell me girls, how was school?" Judy decided to stick to neutral topics.

"It was…" Rachel began looking at Quinn.

"Uneventful." The blonde supplied. "Same old, same old…you know nothing ever happens at McKinley."

In her mind there was no need for Judy to know that she had punched a guy in the face and probably broken his nose or at the very least given him a black eye. Luckily, Judy accepted this response. "Oh Rachel I almost forgot. Please call your aunt after dinner, you neglected to let her know you were already here and apparently your cell is off."

Rachel looked surprised. Aunt Millie was not usually one to check up on her so strictly. "Will do Mrs. Fabray. Thank you"

"You're welcome dear. You know? I'd like you to tell her that if she needs to talk to someone about anything I'm right here…it must be incredibly difficult to suddenly…"

"Mom! Really?" Quinn whined.

"What, Quinnie? I'm simply extending an open invitation to talk. Besides, with you becoming as close as you are it can't hurt to know each other, right?"

Well that sounded fairly reasonable. Still, Quinn couldn't help but think that there was something behind her mother's statement. _You're paranoid._

"Thank you very much Mrs…Judy." The girl corrected herself over the woman's mock glare. "I'll tell her, she'll be delighted to meet you."

The rest of the meal was spent making small talk about school, work, cheerleading practice, glee club and other things. At the end, and in spite of Judy's protests, Rachel did the dishes before both girls retired to the blonde's room. At the sight of the rumpled pillows and other evidence of their tickle fight and almost kiss, a light tension came upon them. Quinn did not know if they were supposed to talk about it or if she should apologize of forget about it altogether. _Don't ruin it Fabray! If she brings it up you deal with it. If not, then forget about it. Yeah right, as if I could. _

The rest of the week at school was pretty uneventful too. Finn walked around telling everybody that he had been involved in a fight and resorted to throwing dirty looks at Quinn every time they saw each other. Glee practice was back to normal, well, as normal as it could be seeing as Rachel was still participating as little as possible. The blonde missed the girl's voice but every time she tried to coax her into singing something the brunette would simply change the subject.

In regards to their almost kiss, both had fallen into an unspoken agreement where they avoided the topic altogether. Sometimes, their gazes would lock and the air would get heavy and electric but one of them always managed to snap their eyes away before something could happen.

Aunt Millie finalized her move to Lima and the girls, together with Brittany and Santana (who still denied any "warm and fuzzy" feelings towards the tiny diva no matter how hard the other three girls tried to get her to admit them), helped her pack everything up and get settled. In the legal front, Shelby showed no intention of backing down. She was trying to make Millie look unfit to parent Rachel by any means possible. The older Berry took Judy's offer to talk up after one particularly bad court appearance and both women went to a small coffee shop near the blonde's work place.

"I just don't get it Judy. What did I ever do to the woman that she hates me so much? She doesn't even know me!" Millie whined.

Judy sipped her coffee and thought for a second before voicing her opinion. "She doesn't hate you. It's not even remotely about you. Shelby is trying to do the right thing."

"She what?" The younger woman said indignantly. "She already refused Rachel twice. How is that doing the right thing?"

"Let me explain." The older woman said putting her hands up in defense sensing a full-blown Berry rambling coming on. It really was hereditary and Judy had now experienced several from the tiny diva and so far just one from her aunt.

"You may think she's heartless, refusing her daughter not only once but twice and then adopting a baby who happens to be one of her friend's biological daughter. I can assure you it hurts like hell. When you're pregnant the child is you and I know you're tired of hearing this but when you have one of your own you'll understand."

"Yes, thank you. Her lawyer has made it quite clear that I cannot relate because I'm not a mother." The woman said with a bitter tone.

"Shelby wants a relationship with Rachel, she just doesn't know how to ask for one because she feels she doesn't deserve it. It's what happened to me with Quinn."

Millie knew about what had happened with Beth and the Fabrays because Rachel had told her. At first she was reluctant to contact the blonde woman who had abandoned her child in a time so difficult for her but then both girls assured her that Judy was doing everything to redeem herself with her daughter. This confession only proved it that much further. "I hadn't thought about it that way."

"I might be wrong. But that's just my opinion."


	10. Chapter 10

**A/N: Hey guys, here's next part. It's a bit of a filler really but I hope you like it. I tried something new at the beginning with the whole facebook chat thingy, please let me no what you think of it. The little miss sunshine thing is something I do, I realized I'm projecting myself on Quinn but hey, I like the character lol. Thank you so much for al the alerts and subscriptions and reviews, they really mean a lot to me. I saw last night's episode and I cracked up during the entire thing! It was hilarious, especially Mercedes and Lauren. As always, enjoy. **

Rachel sat on her bed bored out of her mind. Aunt Millie had gone out for a coffee with Mrs. Fabray and it looked like it was going to be a while before she came home. Her hand was doing better, the pain had lessened considerably over the past couple of days and her appointment with Dr. Albright was scheduled for next week. _What to do on a boring weekend Rachel? _She decided she'd log on to facebook just to pass the time.

**Quinn:** So, you were bored too huh?

The petite brunette smiled as soon as the blonde messaged her.

**Rachel: **Kind of. Aunt Millie left for the bonding experience hours ago! What could they possibly be talking about?

**Quinn:** Oh you mean the coven? They are exchanging potion recipes.

**Rachel:** hahaha dork!

**Quinn:** o.O That's what I get for trying to make you laugh? Mean!

**Rachel:** Awww…sorry.

**Quinn:** …

**Rachel:** It was a joke!

**Quinn:** …

**Rachel:** Quinn Fabray!

**Quinn:** "It was a joke!"

**Rachel: **Oh, I see, you're making fun of me. I might decide to keep the present Aunt Millie told me to give you from the editorial. It sort of caters to your inner dork.

**Quinn:** You wouldn't!...What is it?

**Rachel:** I think I just might hold on to it. It's a box set of The Lord of the Rings.

**Quinn:** Oh, I already have the trilogy so better luck next time Berry.

Unbeknownst to the blonde, the older Berry had gotten the extended version of the saga. Apparently it was limited edition and since Millie knew how much of a geek Quinn really was she thought she would like them. After all, she was always getting cool stuff with her old position and now it had just gotten better.

**Rachel:** Oh yeah, I forgot. I guess I thought differently because these are the special extended versions. My bad.

**Quinn:** They're what? Oh come on! Can I have them? Pretty pleeeeeeeeease? I'm sorry.

**Rachel:** Sorry for what?

**Quinn:** For whatever it is that I need to be sorry for so that you give me those movies.

**Rachel:** It doesn't count; you're just saying that to get the DVD's.

**Quinn:** You are going to make me beg? I warn you I will; I've been asking my mother for those for ages!

**Rachel:** Dork! Relax, these aren't exactly my cup of tea…I'm more of a musical kind of girl remember? Hey do you want to have a marathon of these? Or…something? You know, enlighten me like with Star Wars?

**Quinn:** I'll bring the popcorn.

**Rachel:** Maybe you should invite Santana too. I saw her crying after Glee on Friday.

The small brunette couldn't believe that she was willingly giving up alone time with the blonde but the Latina really looked sad. Besides, she had started to form some sort of friendship with her too so she was worried.

**Quinn:** She was? No wonder she won't answer my texts. I'll swing by her house to see if she wants to come with. I'll be at Casa de la Berry in about 20 minutes, is that okay?

**Rachel:** I'll be waiting.

Quinn Fabray is offline

It took the diva a couple of minutes to freak out and start fussing over what she was going to wear. _Why are you doing this Rachel?_ That warm and fuzzy feeling she felt whenever she spent time with the blonde had to mean something right? _Get real, even if it did….DOES!...fine, even if it does she most certainly doesn't reciprocate…you're just friends so don't ruin it! But the almost-kiss! _The back and forth in her head was making her get a migraine so she opted for a pair of form fitting jeans and a white t-shirt and sat down to wait for her friend.

Quinn arrived at the Lopez household and saw that the Latina's car was parked in the garage. Nobody else appeared to be home so she went up to the front door and rang the doorbell. When nobody answered she groaned. Normally, she'd just assume that Santana was sleeping or something but Rachel had seen the girl crying and if she recalled correctly the fiery Latina never cried. She sighed and bent down to retrieve the spare key that was hidden beneath a flowerpot. _This is soooo trespassing. If you are up in your room doing your nails and being all Bitchy McQueen I'll hurt you San._

"San?" The blonde called out once she was inside the house.

Quinn heard rustling coming from the kitchen and headed there. Someone was rummaging in the fridge. "Hey San, are you o…kay?"

The refrigerator door closed to reveal a surprised Sam Evans wearing only his boxers. _Now this has got to be taken out of some teen flick. No way this is happening to me._ "Quinn, w…what are y-you doing here?"

At that Quinn actually snorted. "Well, I was here to check on Santana and don't worry, I won't bother asking what you're doing here, it's pretty damn obvious."

The look on his face was priceless. His eyes were as wide as saucers and he had the decency to walk behind the counter to cover his state of undress as much as possible. The blonde was surprised to realize that his cheating on her didn't make her angry as she thought it would, or should. "This isn't what it looks like, I promise."

At that moment, the Latina chose to come into the kitchen. "What the hell is taking you so long Evans? Just take the food, eat it and go." The girl froze once she saw the blonde girl standing in her kitchen too. "Q…"

Okay maybe she was a little mad at the fact that he cheated on her with one of her friends. "Hello, Santana. Having some fun with my boyfriend I see."

"Quinn, I can explain." Sam tried.

The girl put a hand up to cut off anything he was going to say. "Don't bother. I don't want to hear any of it. I don't care."

"Yeah, that much I gathered! You don't give a fuck about me! I've been nothing but a good boyfriend to you Quinn, I understood about the no intimacy thing and I kept my mouth shut about it. But then, to have you ignore me on top of that? I am a guy, you know? I have needs and Santana just happened to be there. I love you….she…she means nothing!" He said that last part looking disdainfully at the Latina who was sitting curled up on the floor clearly fighting the urge not to cry.

The blonde was left speechless at his little rant. Then, a small sob from her friend brought her to action and she stepped towards the boy and slapped him, hard. "Santana is in this very room with you so if you're not mature enough to take some responsibility for you actions at least don't be a complete jerk about it. And seriously "I have needs"? Have you been hanging out with Puck that much?"

His anger seemed to subside a bit. "But…Quinn…I…"

"Seriously! Get the hell out! I'm done!" The blonde gestured with a hand between the both of them. "We're done!"

With that the boy was wise enough to shut up and go upstairs to get his clothes. When they were left alone the first one to break the silence was the brunette. "Quinn, I'm…I'm sorry."

Quinn turned to look at her sharply and understood that this was so much more than Santana just wanting to be a bitch and sleep with her boyfriend. She dropped to her knees beside her friend and hugged her. "San, what are you doing?"

The girl couldn't keep it in any longer and held on to her friend tightly. "I don't know Q, not anymore."

They waited a few minutes until they heard the front door slam shut. They stood up and Quinn sent a text to Rachel letting her know what had happened and that they would have to take a rain check on that marathon. The brunette understood and told her to tell Santana that she was there if she needed her as well. Meanwhile, the Latina went up to change.

"So S..." Quinn started taking a seat in one of the couches. "…spill it. I know there's something big bothering you. Rachel saw you crying on Friday and you didn't even bitch at Sam for saying what he said."

"I told her I loved her…Brittany" The Latina said slumped in the couch opposite to the blonde. She kept her gaze downwards and only the slight shaking of her shoulders betrayed the fact that she was crying.

Quinn's eyes widened. "You told Brit you loved her? But I thought that would be a good thing."

Santana sighed. "I told her I loved her and she said that she loved me too but that she didn't wanna hurt Artie and that if she ever breaks up with him and I happen to be waiting for her then she's all mine."

The blonde didn't know what to say to that. Santana and Brittany's relationship had always been complicated. The Latina had always said that sex wasn't dating and that she loved the blonde dancer as just a friend but Quinn always suspected there were deeper feelings there. She didn't agree with the way the brunette handled things but Brittany seemed to be settling for anything she could get as long as she had Santana with her. Until that is, the duets competition. Something Santana had said actually made Brittany mad and the whole situation ended in her becoming Artie's girlfriend. It was an odd pairing and admittedly, Quinn never thought they'd last this long. And now, to hear that the blue-eyed dancer had actually rejected Santana was simply crazy.

The Latina snorted. "Left you speechless too huh? It took me a lot to say it and I understand that it also took me for-fucking-ever but she was so insistent that I actually thought that maybe…"

Quinn stood up and sat next to her friend, she didn't really know what to do so she opted to just hug her tight for the second time that night. Santana lost it for real this time and started sobbing into her shoulder. "It's going to be okay." _At least I hope it is._

"Hey, what is going on with you? There was a time when you would have me sacrificed to the slushie gods of McKinley for sleeping with your boyfriend and now you're here comforting me." The Latina suddenly remarked pulling back and gently disentangling herself from the embrace. Quinn knew that it was only to detach herself from the emotional environment they were in. Santana wasn't good with emotions and she knew better than to push so she let her be, if the Latina wanted to talk she'd do it on her own terms.

"Well, I'm not too happy about that but I actually benefitted from it. I got to break up with him for a valid reason." Quinn said smiling. Now that she thought of it she didn't have to look for an excuse to end things with Sam.

"And you would want to break up with Evans becaaaaaause?"

It was the blonde's turn to be shy and try to change the subject. "I don't know. He was boring."

The Latina cocked her head to the side and observed her friend for a moment. "There's someone else isn't it?"

Quinn crossed her arms and tried to look nonchalant, she failed. "What? No! Of course not."

The blonde cheerleader could tell that she wasn't fooling her friend. Her voice was an octave higher than usual and she could feel her face blushing as she spoke. The Latina blinked a couple of times while the blonde cheerleader found something interesting in the hem of her t-shirt. "It's Rachel isn't it?"

Hazel eyes widened impossibly and the blush that previously only tinted her cheeks lightly now reached her hairline. "What! No! Rachel and I are just friends!"

The brunette raised a perfectly sculpted eyebrow. "Are you? Come on Q, talk to Santana. I know I've seen you staring at her ass more times that I could count."

"I do not!" Quinn defended herself.

"Do to! It's either that or her legs. Though I can't really blame you for that, I mean they are extremely long for her height and incredibly sexy." Santana smirked at the blush that deepened impossibly. This really was too easy.

Once she was able to control it, Quinn remained silent staring off into space. Her brunette friend let her, knowing that she was just coming to a huge realization. Sure, the girl might have been aware of her attraction to the petite starlet but to outright admit it was a whole different story. "I…I…"

"Come on Q, use your words. You know I won't judge you. I would be the biggest hypocrite if I did and I may be a lot of things but hypocrite is not one of them."

"I have a crush on Rachel Berry!" The blonde said it with a panicked look on her face and seemed to be quite breathless despite the small length of the message.

Santana hugged her amused. "There, that wasn't so bad was it?"

"I'm so glad you find this whole ordeal amusing." Quinn said playfully nudging her with her shoulder. Silence fell between them for a second.

"That's because it is my dear Q. So, does she know?"

Quinn gasped. She hadn't really given it much thought to a scenario where she disclosed her true feelings for the brunette out of fear. The fact that both of Rachel's dads had been gay didn't equate to her being comfortable with Quinn professing her undying love with a song or whatever, right? "Of course not. What if she freaks out and doesn't want to be my friend anymore."

Santana actually snorted at the look on Quinn's face. God this was golden! She couldn't recall a time where the blonde had blushed so much or been so flustered. "Relax! You're going to give yourself a heart attack. And, since I'm your friend I'll share a crucial piece of information with you so you won't worry."

"What information?"

Santana smiled knowingly at her friend's barely concealed anticipation. "While you are busy looking at her ass and legs I actually pay attention to her, well not specifically her but the rest of the world you know?"

Quinn arched an eyebrow. Santana didn't want to admit it but she was certain that the Latina actually liked the petite diva now that she was able to interact with her a little more. It was part of the Berry charm as far as the blonde cheerleader was concerned. "Just admit you like her."

The fiery brunette looked at her in disbelief. "I do not! I tolerate her, which is different. Now do you want the dirt or not?"

Quinn sighed and brought her legs up to sit Indian style on the couch, getting ready for whatever Santana was going to throw her way. She motioned with her hand for her friend to go on. "She makes moony eyes at you when she knows you aren't looking. You know? Like she did with Hudson."

"No she doesn't." The blonde retorted, she was sure her friend was just messing with her.

"She does! I'm serious; she even looks at your legs whenever you walk by. She secretly worships Coach Sylvester for making us wear the skirts all the time."

"Oh wow."

"And, I'll leave you to ponder that. What do you want for dinner? Actually you know what? I'll just whip something up and you'll love it like you love everything I cook. You can sleep over if you want." With that, Santana retreated to the kitchen to start on dinner.

To say that Quinn was happy would be an understatement. Hope could do that to you and now, the blonde was hopeful. She knew it wasn't wise to trust what Santana told her to be true, not to say she didn't trust her friend, but to automatically equate that to Rachel being attracted to her to was a little too much. _Wishful thinking is what it is Fabray, only wishful thinking._ As soon as that thought went through her head, her cell phone vibrated in her pocket indicating a new text message. She couldn't help the grin that broke out on her face when she saw it was from Rachel.

**I don't mean to appear "stalkerish" but I'm worried about Santana. Is everything okay? ****–R**

**Everything is fine now; she'll get through it. She's cooking dinner as we speak and (don't ever tell her I told you this) it's therapeutic for her. –Q **

**Wow, Santana Lopez likes to cook? We'll have to trade recipes. Don't worry your secret is safe with me. –R **

"Aw, that's cute, you get all smiley when she texts you." Santana smirked from the kitchen doorway. She was wearing an apron that said 'Kiss the chef' and a kitchen rag hung over her shoulder. In short, she looked nothing like the bitchy cheerleader.

"She asked if you were okay. She's _that_ nice and you are going to have to admit to liking her sooner or later." The blonde asked from her position on the couch. She kept fiddling with her phone composing her reply.

The Latina nodded her head in agreement. She knew that Rachel had every right to hate them but she didn't seem to, that was also part of the evidence that made de cheerleader think that smurfette had the hots for Juno. "I admit she is weird. We tormented her forever and she seems to have forgiven us very fast. I know I would've made us sweat a little and maybe even grovel."

"She's been through a lot lately…" Quinn didn't know if Rachel was ready to tell about her dads just yet. It saddened her that nobody in the club, or the rest of McKinley population for that matter, had noticed her so sad or even cared to ask about her family. So, she backtracked and tried to cover her slip up. "…I've learned to not question it. I'm just glad she forgave me and that's it."

"You're so smitten with her it's not even funny." Santana said turning around to the kitchen.

The blonde's 'you're one to talk' died I her throat, she figured it would be highly insensitive with the current status of the Brittany situation. She stood up and yelled to her friend. "Whatever, are we watching the movie while we eat?"

"What the hell kind of question is that Fabray? Of course we are watching it. Set it up and come help me with some of this." The brunette yelled back.

Quinn stood up and set the DVD with Little Miss Sunshine. It was their little ritual, whenever one of them was feeling down they'd watch it and try to forget about things a bit. The blonde just hoped that this time, Santana would be able to forget though it was unlikely when it came to Brittany. She also answered Rachel's last text before entering the kitchen to see what her friend would have her do that wouldn't jeopardize their physical integrities.

**I know it is. Well, I'm off to try and help her without burning down the house or loosing a finger or something. I'll talk to you later. xoxo –Q **

Santana was working on the counter while making a simple salad when Quinn entered the kitchen. "I'm happy for you Q, I really am. But I just have something to say."

"What is it S?"

"Do things right. Don't hurt her or it'll end up hurting you as well." They both worked in comfortable silence after that knowing that there was nothing much to add.


	11. Chapter 11

**A/N: Hey guys, I know I suck for the delay but there are no excuses this time other that life seems to hate me somehow but I won't bore you with the details. I have tons of ideas on this; I just need to get around to typing them up. I tried to do a lot with this chapter and to have the characters take important steps forward. Pleas please give me some feedback on this one 'cause I don't know if I pulled it off. As always; reviews are very much welcome. Enjoy. **

**It's not proofed; all mistakes are mine. Please don't hesitate to point them out for me either. **

**Disclaimer: I do not own Glee or any of its characters. **

"Hey kiddo!" Aunt Millie came in to find Rachel sitting on the couch attempting to watch TV.

The girl looked up and smiled lightly. She knew that this whole custody ordeal was really getting to her aunt. "Hey! How was your evening with Mrs. Fabray?"

"She's…cooler than I expected." The brunette woman said before taking her shoes off and sitting besides her niece. "I had her pegged for some sort of 'Stepford wife' but I'm glad she's actually very nice to talk to and very intelligent too."

Admittedly, Judy and Quinn Fabray fit perfect image of the all-American stereotype. Both blonde and extremely pretty, it seemed that they could get away with anything without much effort. Most of her life, Millie had tended to avoid people like that but now, she was glad she'd taken the time to get to know both of them. The older brunette was surprised when she found out that most of the money that the Fabrays, or mostly Russell according to Rachel, used to brag about came from Judy's side of the family, which was why she only worked to keep busy and for the sense of independence it brought her. Still, she was not one to flaunt her status or look down on everyone else much like her husband once was.

The girl chuckled. "Yeah, that she is. So, I called and confirmed my appointment with Dr. Albright."

"Oh yeah, I meant to do that earlier, sorry." Millie said with a barely there hint of regret in her voice.

Rachel recognized it and hurried to assure her aunt. "It was just a call aunt Millie, I'm perfectly capable of doing that on my own. It doesn't make you a bad parenting figure."

The woman grunted. "Ugh, I know but I need to get my act together, I bet Shelby wouldn't forget about a simple call and…"

"It doesn't matter what Ms. Corcoran would or wouldn't do aunt Millie…" The girl said, effectively cutting a Berry rant short. "…you didn't ask to become a parent but somehow, and I'm deeply grateful with you for it, you embraced it totally even though it was not in you plans. So, please don't worry, it will all work out in the end. You'll see."

Millie smiled warmly at her niece. "Thanks Rae, it means a lot coming from you but you don't have to thank me. I love you and besides, who better to take care of you than the cool aunt, right?"

The girl deadpanned. "You're my only aunt."

"Smart ass." The woman threw a cushion to her niece and succeeded in thinking that they just might be alright after all. "Come on, let's get started on dinner. Don't worry, I promise to do whatever you say so there's really no risk of fire."

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

"You should ask her out." Santana blurted out after taking a swig of the vodka bottle. At her friend's confused face she clarified. "You know…Thumbelina?"

The movie was long over and the Latina had decided that it was a good idea to break into her father's liquor cabinet if she was to embrace the full "teenage heartache" cliché. Quinn was just glad that Dr. Lopez was out of town and not likely to barge in on their little party. Not that her father's presence or the potential grounding would have stopped the Latina.

"Don't be silly, San." The blonde replied with a snort.

"Oh come on, why not? Fish-lips and frankenteen are both out of the picture now. It's fair game."

Quinn held on tight to her bottle of Jose Cuervo and sighed. "But…what if…what if she doesn't like me that way and doesn't even want to be my friend anymore?"

"Enough with that already! Queerios don't do scared!" The fiery brunette jumped up and down in the couch while screeching said declaration and Quinn, who had been in the middle of taking a sip, almost choked because she burst out into a roaring laugh. "Hey Q, don't die on me!"

The girl was now on the floor doubled over in laughter and fighting a vicious cough all at the same time. Eventually she came up for air. "What the hell are you talking about?"

"Us, you see we are both Cheerios and have the hots for two other girls…we're queer Cheerios…Queerios."

"You're such a dork. And we don't do scared you say?" The blonde tried to mimick her friend's previous actions but it came out a bit more slurred than she'd intended.

The Latina settled down beside her friend. They both lay there staring at the ceiling like they were frozen in the middle of making a snow angel. "Well, you shouldn't do scared. I mean, I did that shit for way too long and now Brit is with Artie. I meant it when I said to do things right you know?"

Quinn covered Santana's hand with her own and squeezed a bit. "I know San. It will be okay, you'll see."

A few seconds passed where neither girl said anything, they just took long swigs from the bottles that were already half empty. They were many things but lightweights were not one of them. Theirs was most certainly a bizarre friendship but they wouldn't have it any other way, at the end of the day, they could both count on each other. Suddenly, the brunette sat up and stretched out her hand. "Give me your phone."

Quinn was too comfortable to move so she just reached into her pocket and tossed it in Santana's general direction. "What for?"

"You'll see." The Latina fumbled with the buttons for a few seconds before she found the contact she was looking for and pressed a couple more buttons. It didn't even have to ring twice before a surprised diva answered.

"Hey Quinn! I didn't think I was going get to talk to you tonight. How is Santana doing?"

The Latina smirked. "I'm fine Berry but thanks for asking anyways."

"Berry? Santana hang up, now!" Quinn yelled when she realized whom her friend was talking to. However, her movements were alcohol impaired and she didn't quite succeed in sitting up. Instead, she opted to tug at Santana's arm.

"Uhm, are you drunk?" An uncertain Rachel said into Santana's ear.

Santana looked down at her squirming friend and then closed her eyes for a second. "Define drunk."

The non-intoxicated brunette sighed. "Is she drunk too?"

"Don't worry, your girl is fine."

"Santana! Please don't." Said girl stage-whispered. Her eyes were widened in horror at the potential truths their drunken state could expose.

"Shhh…it's alright. I got your back Tubbers." The Latina responded. "So, Berry, I'm calling to settle a simple matter. Q likes you so…do you like Q?"

"Quinn…she what?" Came the surprised response.

The Latina huffed and took a long breath before opening her mouth and singing. "She thinks you're gooooorgeous, she wants to daaaaaaate you love y..hmpf!"

Quinn had gotten a cushion from the sofa and hurled it at her friend as hard as she could. This was not supposed to happen, not like this anyway. The blonde had these daydreams of declaring her undying love for the diva in a very romantic fashion, not while drunk dialing. "Santana!"

After a chuckle and then a brief pause the girl responded. "I'm only going to answer your previous question because there is a very high probability that neither of you will remember this conversation come morning and that you guys will be more worried about the hangover you're absolutely going to be fighting. With that being said, yes, to answer your question I do like her. I like her a lot."

"Woah, you managed to get me dizzy with so many words. I don't even know half of what you said." The blonde succeeded in tackling Santana by now and was fighting for the communication device while straddling her annoying friend's waist. "Anyway, I've got to go, Q's getting aggressive."

"Hey, Santana?"

Dodging an elbow to her face she responded. "What?"

"Make sure she doesn't drive, please?"

"Puh-lease, like you even need to ask."

With that she cut the communication. "Okay, now that is done, I'm requiring you to hand over your keys."

The blonde stared at her wide-eyed. "Ugh, I hate you!" The blonde pushed off of her friend and resumed their spread-eagled position. "Wait, what did she say?"

"Uhm…what did she say about what?"

With a huff the blonde attempted a shove that was for the most part, unsuccessful. "When you asked her if she liked me…what did she say, dumbass?"

"Oh, that…I don't remember. She went all thesaurus on me and…"

The girl's explanation was cut short by her friend who started tickling her mercilessly. "You don't remember? You, Santana Lopez, are in a shitload of trouble!"

"Oh come on! You know better than to hand me your phone while I'm in this state…please Q, please stop!"

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

"Who was that?"

Rachel was smiling lightly at what had just transpired. _Is it possible? Maybe she does like me…oh come on Rachel! She surely doesn't like you in that sense. _"I think I got my first drunk call."

"Oh that's always fun. When I was younger I used to call people all the time and say the most random things possible. I even called your dad, he got so frustrated with me when I did that." Millie said having finished with the dishes.

"Oh, aunt Millie so that's what my dad meant when he said you gave him early grey hair?" Rachel laughed. "What do you mean random?"

"First of all, I wasn't that bad. You dad always overreacted when I went out to parties and stuff." The older brunette said defensively. "Oh, well you know it's very much like prank calling only you don't remember it the day after. Mostly stupid things."

"Oh, I see." _Stupid, that's surely the case this time too. There is no way on earth that Quinn Fabray things you're gorgeous, much less want to date you. _The girl felt like crying but fought valiantly to hold back her tears. She got up and wanted to run towards her bedroom but refrained giving her aunt a light hug and a kiss on the cheek. "I'm going to go work on some homework. Thanks aunt Millie, for everything."

"Okay sweetie, let me now if you need anything. And no more thank you's okay?"

The girl smiled. "Okay."

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Santana woke up to the incessant ringing of her cell phone. The ring tone indicated that it was her father. "Ugh…no way!" She took the phone and tossed it somewhere far away where se couldn't hear it.

"Stop screaming, please." Quinn grunted beside her. They had fallen asleep on the floor and were now reaping the consequences of their bad decision.

"My head, it's gonna split in half I'm telling you." Santana groaned.

"Next time you wanna meet some sort of teenage milestone you're on your own, Lopez."

They got up with some difficulty to try and stretch any remaining sleepiness from their bodies. "You loved it. Now, shut up and get us some aspirin while I get started on breakfast."

Quinn ascended the stairs at a snail's pace and entered the bathroom. She was rummaging in the medicine cabinet when her phone beeped indicating that the battery was now dead. She decided to wait until after getting some food in her system to hook it up to charge. She could smell pancakes and she loved Santana's pancakes.

They ate in silence after each downing almost a liter of orange juice. "So, Q what are going to do this fine Saturday?"

The blonde shrugged. "Don't know, wanna go to the mall or something?"

"Sure, sounds good. Anything is better than sitting around sulking."

"Oh, big word!"

The Latina snorted. "Shut up, your midget uses them in her sleep I bet."

The blonde blushed at the mention of Rachel. Both girls got out of the house and into the Latina's car since apparently Santana had hidden Quinn's car keys in her drunken playfulness and had yet to remember where she put them. "Hey, thank you for understanding…you know…but, could you ease up on the nicknames? She doesn't like them."

"Oh come on! Everyone gets theirs with me." Santana said, amusement tinting her tone. "Nicknames are my way of relating."

"I know that but that doesn't mean they don't hurt people San."

"Fine, I'll consult with her to make sure she doesn't feel like I'm insulting her. Happy?"

With a smile the blonde nodded and cranked up the volume on the radio. The rest of the ride to the mall was done mostly in silence with a few comments here and there about Cheerios and school. However, as soon as she parked and killed the ignition Santana sighed.

"What was that?" Quinn asked closing the door to the passenger side gently.

"What was what?" The Latina tried to shrug non-chalantly.

The blonde gave her a knowing look and said. "Don't even attempt to bullshit me Lopez, I know you. Now, what was that sigh for?"

"Britt's here."

One perfectly sculpted eyebrow raised in surprise and confusion. To this the brunette girl merely nodded towards a black SUV parked nearby. Quinn's look did not change. "I gave her the duck bumper sticker for her car."

Well that made sense. "Oh, we can go if you don't feel like seeing her." The brunette squared her shoulders and gathered her bearings before starting towards the mall entrance giving her friend her answer. "Wait, Britt drives?"

The Latina glared at her. "What? I love her but it's a valid question and you know that."

"Yeah, she tried specially hard to learn so Artie's dad wouldn't have to drive them around all summer."

"Oh…I'm…"

"It's fine." The brunette cut her off taking her hand and dragging her along a little more forcefully than necessary. "Get moving Fabray, I have a craving for some chocolate ice-cream."

The day went generally well except for when they bumped into their ditzy friend and her boyfriend. Santana merely grunted to acknowledge the two of them and glared at Artie. Brittany was looking sadly at the Latina and the boy simply looked like he wanted to get the hell out of Santana's immediate vicinity. It was up to Quinn to socialize a little and then send the lovebirds on their way.

The made their way back just before it started raining. Once inside the Lopez residence both girls had to haul the numerous bags they had amassed throughout their impromptu shopping trip. "Santana, did you really need to buy this much?"

The brunette flopped down on the couch beside her friend. "Yes, and don't tell me you didn't like reaping the benefits of my father trying to ease his guilt for being absent most of the time, he bought you some nice clothes too!" She smiled.

Shaking her head, Quinn smiled lightly. "Yeah, well what can I say?"

"Nothing at all my friend." Her phone beeped alerting her to a new message. "It's your mom she says you have your cell-phone off and to call her."

Quinn fished around in her pocket and retrieved the device. "Oh right, I forgot to plug it in after breakfast, can I call her from your house?"

"Knock yourself out blondie." The brunette said before going upstairs to change into something a little more comfortable.

Before dialing her house Quinn plugged her phone and turned it on. She was grateful that she and Santana had gotten the same model because her charger was at home.

"Hey mom, I'm sorry my battery died."

"It's fine sweetie, I figured as much. How is Santana?"

"She's a little better but I think she will be hurt for a while still."

"She really loves Brittany, even I can tell…but she's tough…she'll be fine."

"Mom, why aren't you saying that it is disgusting and…you know? Everything dad used to say about Rachel's dads."

"Sweetie, I'm not your dad. Also, some credit would be nice." The older Fabray said with a chuckle attempting to ease the mood and hoping that her daughter would get the hint.

"Yeah, uhm…I'm gonna stay for a little while longer to make sure she's really okay. Dr. Lopez is away for a conference."

"Sure Quinnie, just keep your phone close so I can contact you."

"Okay, I will. And…mom?"

"Yeah?"

"I love you…"

"I love you too sweetie, see you in a while."

As soon as she hung up the phone she heard her friend scream from the top floor. "OH MY GOD!"

Quinn ran up the stairs frantically. "What? What's wrong?"

Santana was in her room sitting on the bed while facing the door and it appeared that she was physically fine. "Quinn, you might want to sit down for this."

The blonde eyed her friend suspiciously. "You're scaring me, you never call me Quinn unless you've done something bad."

"Well, this is…unfortunate." The brunette fiddled with her hands. "You know how it takes a while for me to remember what I did while being drunk?"

"Yeah, I'm familiar with that situation."

The Latina winced. "And how you never do and so made ME promise to always tell you the truth in case you embarrassed yourself or something like it?"

"Yes, I already know that."

"Okay, there's really no way of sugar coating this, you're going to freak anyway. I kind of…drunk dialed Rachel…and…I, well I might've told her you sort of…uhm…like her."

Quinn froze, her eyes widened in horror as Santana's bad imitation of Sandra Bullock in Miss Congeniality came to mind along with everything else that had been said to the petite diva over the phone. This was it; Rachel surely hated her by now. "Oh my God! I have to call her."

Both girls rushed downstairs towards the blonde's phone and said blonde's stomach dropped uncomfortably when she saw she had three messages and a bunch of missed calls along with two voice messages, all from Rachel. _Ugh, this cannot be happening to me._

"What do they say?" Santana asked curiously. Quinn glared at her friend before flicking towards the text messages first.

The first one was pretty simple and the tone was rather light. **Hey Quinn, how's the head? I hope you guys don't feel that bad. Maybe you could both come to my house and we could watch a movie. –R**

_Crap! _The second one was more on the concerned side. **I hope your lack of answer means you're sleeping it off and not in any kind of trouble. Please when you see this let me know if you're OK? –R **

_Just peachy Fabray! _**Okay so we're ignoring Rachel now? You know I was planning on forgetting about the call I received so this treatment is not really necessary. –R **__

"Crap" Santana ran her fingers through her dark locks before plopping down on the couch again.

"You can say that again." Quinn sighed. "I'm dreading the voice messages, she already hates me…I know it."

The time stamp on the first voice message was a mere half hour after the three text messages from hell. Quinn was actually dreading hearing the hurt that would surely tinge the brunette's voice. _"Hey Quinn…"_ Surprinsingl, Rachel sounded rather calm. _"…uh, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to come off as controlling or anything like that. I intend to forget about the call and wait for you to contact me alright? I already know it was just a drunken joke so relax."_

"She thinks it was all a joke." Quinn sighed in relief. Maybe this wasn't the end after all.

The second voice message was left exactly three hours after the first one. _"Okay so, you're ignoring me Quinn, I know that you cannot possibly like me that way but it still hurts you know? I thought that we were at least friends. You've successfully blown this whole thing out of proportion and proved that all of my insecurities are correct. Have a good life Fabray."_

"She's such a drama queen. And…you're screwed." Santana said when Rachel's voice died out.

"You're not helping. This whole mess is your fault anyway. If you hadn't called her the this wouldn't have happened!" Quinn yelled.

"Okay okay you're right! Geez! Chill Tubbers, this is not the end of the world…now, we can…oh shit!" Santana stopped midway through her calming speech.

"What?" Quinn groaned, from the look on her friend's face she could surmise that there were new memories coming on to Santana's mind. "What else can possibly go wrong?"

"She likes you too."

"What? No way! You're just making things up."

Santana denied it with a roll of her eyes. "No, I'm not…she told me herself…in thesaurus mode but she told me."

"God! We're never drinking again."

"Oh come on! Don't start with that again. This could be a blessing in disguise…" Santana started but Quinn cut her off.

"How exactly can this be a blessing? I have a crush on her, I want nothing more than to tell her I'm going to protect her from the rest of the world if I have to, that if she'll have me then she'll never be alone again!" The blonde was pacing back and forth in front of a smirking Santana. "Now she's sitting at home, probably crying, thinking it was all a drunken joke and that I don't want anything to do with her!"

Santana snorted. "Wow, that's deep."

"Shut up!"

"You know? Sound an awful lot like you're in love with her…I would know 'cause that's how I feel about Britt."

The blonde stared at her friend wide eyed as realization hit her like a freight train on meth. "Of course I'm in love with her, she's bloody perfect!" Quinn was smiling now, feeling liberated by her confession.

Santana only cocked her head to the side and said through a smile of her own. "Well, what the fuck are you still doing here…go tell her!"

Quinn only nodded and bolted out the door. Santana yelled after her to take the car since it was raining and such but then figured that Thumbelina would appreciate the dramatic flare Quinn was going with. Maybe things would work out for her friend this time. One of them deserved to catch a break somehow.


	12. Chapter 12

**A/N: So**** this is all kinds of sloppy but I'm doped up on cold meds. I'm seriously struggling with this one but I'll pull through, I love them too much to stop writing them. Please don't hesitate to send me your suggestions since I need all the help I can get. I ask you again to please bear with me. Thank you for all of those who have left reviews if I've not managed to personally answer to your comments. **

**As always, reviews are most welcome. Enjoy! **

**Disclaimer: I do not own Glee or any of its characters. **

Rachel cried herself to a fitful and restless sleep after going a little paranoid at Quinn's lack of communication. They were friends for crying out loud! The blonde had no reason to talk to her every second of every day and now she surely hated the brunette. _Way to act like a crazy girlfriend Rachel!_ The girl sighed when she noted the time, she'd actually spent most of the day worrying and mp pm and the rain hadn't stopped since mid-afternoon.

Despite her rather dramatic nature and popular belief, Rachel did not enjoy crying whatsoever. Her head hurt a bit and she dreaded looking at her reflection in the mirror because she was sure her face was all puffy. She'd shed her fair share of tears with her fathers' demise and a few useless ones over Finn, Jesse and even Puck. Not to mention how easily the taunts from her fellow glee clubbers got to her, more often than not she ended up in tears. Now, she was crying over Quinn Fabray but her tears now stemmed from what she was sure was unrequited love.

Rachel paused for a moment at the thought of already loving the blonde and chuckled at how pathetic she was. It was always the same story, she got attached the minute someone displayed a minimal interest in her no matter if said interest was purely friendly. Then she started making up stories in her head and eventually she ruined everything. _Was it that hard to just be her friend? Stupid, stupid!_

There was a knock on her door and the small girl hurried to wipe at the tears furiously. "Come in!"

"Sweetie a friend of mine just called to invite me to a movie, he's in town..." Millie trailed off when she noticed her niece's red puffy eyes. "Are you ok? What's wrong?"

Worry laced the woman's voice and Rachel felt bad about it. She was tired of her family and Quinn treating her like she was made of glass. Sure, she was still hurting about her dads but how was she supposed to assimilate it if they refused to treat her normally? "Nothing aunt Millie, I'm fine. So, is this a date?"

The woman looked taken aback. "What?"

The girl chuckled. "This man who invited you to the movies. Is it like a date?" She coupled the question with a few wiggles of her perfectly sculpted eyebrows.

The woman blushed and suddenly found something very interesting about the wall opposite Rachel. _Busted! It so is a date, or at least she likes him._ "Uh no! Nothing like that! I mean it's just to...uhm...to catch up! Yes, that's it."

The brunette smiled knowingly. "Well, I think you should go catch up!" She punctuated those last words with a musical tone to her voice and some air quotes for good measure.

"I don't know, I mean...are you sure you're okay? I can go any other day."

Rachel took a deep breath. "Aunt Millie, you are entitled to have a life. I'll be fine; I was just a little melancholic remembering dad and daddy. I'm actually craving some Thai today so don't worry about me for a change, alright?"

The older Berry looked hesitant but Rachel could tell she wanted to go meet this man. After all, her aunt was an attractive and lively young woman so it was only logical. "Are you sure?"

"Yes I'm sure! Now go and have a good time."

Finally, the woman caved. "Fine, but I'll have my phone with me at all times. If you need anything just call, okay?"

With a dramatic roll of her eyes, the girl ushered her aunt out of her room. "I promise now, go have fun catching up."

This time, Millie was unable to suppress the grin that overtook her face. She left a few bills for Rachel to be able to take care of dinner on the kitchen table and hurried to her room to get a heavier jacket. She placed a kiss on top of her niece's head before heading out. Once she was out the door and her car had backed out completely from the driveway, Rachel sighed and went up to her room to mope some more.

The brunette was so engrossed in her pity party that she failed to hear her name being called by the object of her affections just outside her bedroom window. "Rachel!"

At the lack of response, the blonde tried again a little more forcefully. "Rachel, please! I need to talk to you!" Quinn stood outside just under the brunette's window soaked to the bone and it just occurred to her that this might have no been the best idea. Still, she was determined to see this through and maybe, just maybe she'd survive the pneumonia she was gonna get. She glanced down and located a few pebbles to toss at the window. _God, this is so cliché. I can't believe I'm this lame. Besides, she'll bust my ass if I lose my voice for Glee._

Rachel returned to her room with a steaming mug of herbal tea. There was a book calling to her. Maybe that way she would be able to forget about the whole debacle with Quinn even if it was just for a while. She was just burrowing under the covers when she heard a tap on her window. "Rachel!"

_Could it be? Maybe I finally lost it._ The girl remained silent and unmoving and there it was again. A tap against her window accompanied by a scream. "Rach just talk to me! Come on!"

It was Quinn, she was outside her window throwing something and yelling to catch her attention. And it was raining, hard. "Oh my god!"

The petite starlet jumped up and ran to open said window and there she was, a soaked blonde who was visibly shivering. "Quinn! Are you crazy? What are you doing out in the rain?" _She looks gorgeous! Oh come on Berry, she would look gorgeous wearing a plastic bag!_

"I need to tell you something." The blonde girl was shivering but she hardly noticed because of the giddiness she felt at the prospect of what she was going to do.

"Wait there!" Rachel closed the window and ran downstairs.

When she opened the door there stood Quinn, little droplets of water clinging to her eyelashes, hazel eyes shinning with an emotion the brunette couldn't quite place, completely soaked and shivering. Quinn just stared at the brunette with a small smile on her lips before uttering a breathless "Hi"

"Hi Quinn..." If Rachel was surprised by the unexpected presence if the other girl, she didn't show it. "...come inside, I'll make you some tea and you need to get out of these wet clothes..."

The small diva grabbed the cheerleader's hand and turned to drag her inside but the taller girl gripped her hand tighter and twirled her back around to face her. This time she brought their bodies flush together and hooked both arms behind the trim waist to keep Rachel from moving. "About the texts."

The brunette's breath hitched at the other girl's proximity. "Oh..." The girl closed her eyes tightly. She was going to give her friend an out so this could all blow over. "You don't have to say anything. I know you were drunk and it was like a prank call...it's quite alright. I just want you to forgive me for my attitude with the overbearing texts and voicemails because I know you couldn't possibly like me like...hmpf..."

_I can't believe what she's saying; doesn't the position we're in tell her something? He! I'm getting her all wet with this hug; she doesn't seem to mind though._ The blonde disentangled one hand and pressed her index finger to the brunette's lips effectively silencing her rant. "Let me speak please Rach."

After a slight nod from the brunette, one pale finger traced the outline of her lips with excruciating calmness. "You're beautiful."

The brunette blushed deep red and tried to duck her head. Quinn brought her hand right under her chin to tug her upwards so they were making eye contact. How she loved those endless chocolate pools. "Your eyes are utterly mesmerizing."

The blonde's hand combed through Rachel's dark locks next. "Your hair is so soft I constantly want to smooth my fingers through it."

Rachel was sure she had stopped breathing quite a while ago; she had died and gone to heaven. Quinn's normally smoky voice was huskier than usual and the silkiness of it sent shivers up and down her spine. _Someone pinch me so I know I'm not dreaming. _Her gorgeous hazel eyes were tracing every inch of the smaller girl's face like they were trying to memorize every freckle, and even the most minute of characteristics. "So no, it was most definitely not a drunken joke."

This somehow snapped the little diva out of her Quinn-induced haze and she arched a brow coupled with a smirk that unbeknownst to her made the blonde's heart rate pick up a few notches. To say she was ecstatic was a bit of an understatement. Here was the personification of an angel telling her all these sweet and wonderfully romantic things. Not to mention her last confession, maybe Quinn did have feelings for her after all.

"Okay, we were drunk but I'm standing right here, soaked to the bone and completely sober to tell you that I'm well on my way to falling in love with you…if I'm not there already."

Rachel broke out into a grin so huge it threatened to overcome her entire face. Happy tears sprung to her eyes as she burrowed her face in the blonde's shoulder and squeezed her as tight as she could not minding one second about the water. To be honest she hadn't even noticed how completely wet they both were by now. She inhaled the scent that was uniquely Quinn and committed it to her memory for a few seconds. It was during this particular seconds that the blonde girl was driving herself crazy because Rachel had yet to utter a word. "Uh, Rach? I believe this is the time to…uh…you know, say something."

Rachel looked up and to claim the blonde's lips would only require her to lean in a bit so she did just that taking the cheerleader's luscious lower lip between her own. The kiss was wonderful, firework worthy even. Both girls ignoring the burn in their chests as oxygen started to become a necessity. It was truly the most tender yet passion filled kissed Rachel had ever experienced. Quinn was not fighting her for control over it like her previous boyfriends had always done. It was the sweetest battle because she knew there would be no victor, but she didn't care. Finally they pulled apart and when she opened her eyes expecting to meet a pair of hazel pools staring back at her but instead she found that Quinn's eyes were shut tightly, a smile grazing her face.

"I believe I've said my piece. It seems it's _your_ turn to say something. I'm normally open about my feelings but I don't go around kissing _random_ people to show them." The girl said with amusement coloring her tone.

Quinn arched an eyebrow and let the shorter girl go instantly regretting the lack of contact. _Could she be any more adorable? _The cheerleader knew what this was about so she took the tiny hand that was not wrapped in a cast into both of her own. "Rachel Berry, will you be my girlfriend?"

Rachel pretended to think it through for a moment but then smiled and nodded vigorously. "To quote Miss Holliday: I thought you'd never ask!"


	13. Chapter 13

**A/N: Here's the suite you guys. I'm trying to move along with the plot but then I just don't think it's working. LOL either way tell me what you think please? Uhm to any Brittana shippers please don't hate me, this OC I'm bringing to the story will be good to Santana, I promise. **

**Next up will be coming out to Judy and Aunt Millie in the process, and I will also be bringing the Shelby custody thing back full force. Oh and Rachel and a song, dedicated to Quinn. **

**Reviews mean the world to me. Enjoy! **

**BTW, I hate that Rachel is graduating at the end of season 3…just had to get it out there. **

**Disclaimer: I do not own Glee or any of its characters. **

"_Not that I'm not thoroughly enjoying this baby." Quinn said between kisses. They had remained standing in the middle of the living room. Rachel giggled at the term of endearment used by the blonde. "What's so funny?" _

_The brunette pulled back enough to look at her girlfriend's face. "You called me baby, and I really liked it." _

"_Oh yeah? Well I have a few of those. I can call you baby, cupcake, pumpkin, babe, hot stuff, you name it." _

_Rachel fought valiantly with the blush and the grin threatening to spread across her face but lost. "Oh shush! Now, what were you going to say?" _

"_Oh yes, I was telling you that even though this right here." She used a hand to indicate both of them. "Is pretty damn awesome but I'm kinda freezing." _

_Rachel jumped and pulled the blonde up to her room. "Quinn! I can't believe we got so carried away! You need to take a hot bath and I'll make you some tea and give you some clothes." _

"Rachel!" The teacher called for the third time.

"Oh, sorry Mr. Davies…" The brunette came back to the class and felt herself flush at the looks she was receiving from her classmates.

"Miss Berry, please refrain from daydreaming during class time. Now on to the next equation…"

As the class went on, Rachel felt her phone vibrate in her pocket. She was normally against breaking school rules but there was a certain blonde a couple of rows back who made it worth the while. Calculus was the least favorite of all her subjects; she had no idea what use she was going to make of all those problems once she was belting out a song on a Broadway stage. With a shake of her head she took the phone out and surely there was a new text from Quinn.

**Daydreaming again Miss Berry? It's so unlike you to be this unfocused. No wonder I've had to help you with all your homework this week. –Q **

**It's not my fault you know? There's this girl that has kept me distracted all week. :) –R **

**Oh, should I be worried? Do I know her? –Q**

**Oh, it's this little blonde bombshell. Beautiful girl, really. A bit of a dork but she's hot so I let it slide. –R**

**Hey! You love my dorky side. Don't even pretend to think you don't. –Q **

**Really, baby? Out of ALL the words in that text you went with 'dork'. Wow, okay. –R **

Rachel suppressed a chuckle. It would not sit well with Mr. Davies if he caught her texting just after having reprimanded her for not paying attention. At the lack of response for a few minutes she chanced a glance back at her girlfriend and sure thing, the blonde had turned an amusing shade of red. Rachel was delighted to see that because she thought it was adorable.

**Awww! You're cute when you're embarrassed. ;) –R **

**Well, it's not everyday that a brunette babe calls you a bombshell. –Q **

A few minutes passed without and answer from the diva.

**I can't see your face but you're soooooo blushing right now, BABE. –Q **

**P.S. I think you are cute all the freaking time. ;) –Q **

It had been a week since that night they had come clean about their feelings towards each other. Neither girl was ashamed of being together but they decided that they would keep their relationship under wraps for a while. If not to fully prepare for any possible reactions then to strengthen the fragile beginning of it all. That left them to resort to furtive glances in the hallways, sneaky brushes of their fingers and shoulder bumps and of course, texts.

So far, the only person who knew about them was Santana but only because she had texted Quinn and annoyed the hell out of her into telling the Latina what had transpired between the two girls. "Hey, if it wasn't for my genius, drunken self, you guys would still be 'just friends'" Or so the fiery cheerleader had claimed once and Rachel was really glad to have a girl so fiercely protective like Santana on their side.

The brunette cheerleader started to hang out with them a lot and swore up and down that the nicknames she gave the little diva were simply out of love. Quinn protested profusely and it wasn't until the diva compromised and allowed them that the matter was truly settled.

"_But no more Treasure Trail or any of those." _

"_You got yourself a deal. Your abnormally short, yet cute, stature is totally fair game though." _

_Rachel only rolled her eyes and accepted it. _

The petite diva was still refusing to participate as much as she used to during glee club and had been by now approached by Mr. Schuester about it. He had said he was worried though he did not specify if the source of his concern was the girl's well being or the chances of the club at sectionals. Either way, the starlet assured him that it would be good to showcase all the talent they had in their ranks. She even mentioned that she was okay, just in case.

The bell rang signaling the start of their lunch hour. Lately, they had taken to eating in the auditorium since it was always deserted. It was their chance to be openly affectionate towards each other since only Santana ever joined them and even that wasn't an everyday occurrence. If someone took notice of the Head Cheerio missing in the cafeteria, no one was stupid enough to ask questions about it. Like all things Cheerios, they learned to accept it without thinking too much about it. For all they knew she was in Coach Sylvester's office plotting their victory at their next competition.

"Mom baked cookies yesterday. Vegan approved so I could bring some for you today." The blonde smiled while sitting indian style next to the brunette and chastely pecking the girl's lips.

Rachel grinned. "I love your mom! She doesn't even know about us and she's already the most splendid mother-in-law.

At the mention of her mother's knowledge of their relationship or lack thereof Quinn turned pensive. "I think she knows."

"Oh?" A surprised diva stopped chewing on her cookie. Quinn continued.

"Yeah, do you remember the 'friend who happens to be a girl' incident I told you about?"

The brunette nodded in answer indicating the blonde to keep going. "Well, it's become like her punch line or something. Every single thing she says about you, which is a lot believe me, she ends it with that little phrase."

"Well sweetie, it could very well be because I've become a more…uhh…permanent fixture in your life." Rachel offered sincerely.

"Nah, I mean Santana's been my friend for ages and she's never gotten like this before. Besides, whenever you call me or we exchange texts she throws me these knowing glances and smirks. I think she knows." The blonde spoke quite calmly but Rachel couldn't for the life of her decipher her expression.

_Oh God, what if it's too much for her and breaks up with me? _"Well, what do you think about her knowing or potentially knowing at least."

The brunette spoke cautiously but the blonde simply leveled their gazes and responded seriously. "I want to tell her. Officially."

Rachel knew what Quinn's upbringing had been like with a father like Russell Fabray. He was a very religious man and quite unwavering about it. Homosexuality was most certainly frowned upon in the Fabray household. Hell, she even remembered how Quinn's father had made his disapproval of her family one Sunday at the park a few years ago. This was slippery territory to trek with Quinn's family and that was even mildly put.

"Are you…I mean, are you sure?" Rachel tried to keep her voice as neutral as possible.

"Yes, I am. I wanted to talk to you about a very particular detail though."

_This is it, she's gonna end it with me. _"What's that?"

Quinn lowered her gaze and played with her hands on her lap. "I want you to be there with me when I tell her." Her voice was merely above a whisper and had they been elsewhere, the brunette wouldn't have caught it.

Rachel released a breath she hadn't been quite aware of having held. "That's it?"

Quinn looked at her quizzically and nodded a couple of times. The brunette let out a laugh. "Oh baby, you don't even need to ask!"

The blonde smiled and hugged her tightly. "Thank you, but; what did you think I was going to say?"

"Honestly?" Quinn nodded again. Obviously this was something that they should talk about. "I thought you were going to tell me that this was getting to be too much and not really worth it."

Rachel saw the surprise in those beautiful hazel orbs staring back at her but then it turned to hurt. Quinn had been trying so hard to prove to her that the feelings she had for the brunette were real, first as friends and then as much more. The petite starlet couldn't deny that the cheerleader made her very happy, she healed her a little more each day even but there was still a part of her that was waiting for the other shoe to drop.

"Baby, I'm sorry. I know I shouldn't let my insecurities get the best of me but you're so amazing. It's hard to believe that someone like _you _would want to have anything to do with someone like _me._" The diva took Quinn's face in her hands and wiped away a few stray tears that were now falling on to porcelain cheeks.

Quinn mimicked Rachel's position and looked into her eyes before speaking. "Rachel, listen to me. I love you." The blonde kissed her lightly and let her lips linger in the connection for a few seconds. "_You're _amazing and _I _can't believe how lucky _I _am that you found it in yourself to forgive me. You amaze me and I won't ever get tired of repeating it to you until you actually believe me."

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

"Hey San." A tall, bubbly blonde greeted her once best friend at her locker.

Santana wanted nothing more than to go back to the way things were between them but it wasn't going to happen any time soon. Artie was actually good for Brittany and as much as she wanted to hate his guts, she couldn't. "Hey Brit, how's it been?"

"I'm good, Lord Tubbington stopped scratching Artie every time he's over at my house." _She doesn't even realize it hurts so much. Damn cat, he's such a traitor! _"I've missed you a lot though."

It's always the sincerity in the dutch girl's eyes that gets Santana. "Yeah, I've missed you too. I've just been busy." The brunette cheerleader wanted to stuff her head inside her locker and cry.

"I was thinking that we could hang out this Friday. You know, like we used to?" The blonde suggested.

_Like we used to would imply cheating on wheels. _"Uh, sure…I mean, if you want to."

Brittany grinned satisfied. "Awesome, see you then."

The blonde bounced off towards Artie who was waiting for her at the end of the hallway. When she reached him she nodded vigorously before saying something and bending down to kiss her boyfriend lightly. They wheeled off together when the whole exchange was over. With a bit more force than necessary, Santana closed her locker and pressed her forehead against the cool metal.

"Hello there sunshine!" The blonde Head Cheerio appeared next to her thoroughly frustrated best friend.

"Enough with the cheery playfulness already! You seriously need to stop rubbing your happiness in my face with so much gusto. It's rude."

Both cheerleaders started walking towards their next shared class. "Come off it San. You need to move on, why don't you just go on this date and have a good time for a change." Quinn had been trying to set her up with some girl from Rachel's dance class at the small brunette's insistence. Rachel thought that if they got Santana to publicly acknowledge her being gay it would make her feel much better and help her move on from Brittany. "You deserve to be happy"

The Latina only grunted in response and took her seat. AP English was going to be a complete drag today. _Not that it's anything but a waste of my time any other day. _As the teacher finally arrived and started droning on and on about something she didn't care about right now her thoughts ended up drifting towards Brittany and the fact that they were supposed to hang out this Friday.

Santana thought about this girl that the lovebirds were pushing her to date. She was in no way stupid and she was well aware that the fact that Brittany rejected her had nothing to do with her being gay or not, she liked girls. And sure, she was absolutely badass but that didn't mean that she couldn't be scared shitless about actually going out on a date with a girl. What if someone that knew her saw her? Besides, she'd totally feel like she was cheating on Brittany.

_God, how lame does that even sound? _Either way, she was not going on this date no matter how much the hobbit or the whipped pushover that she called a girlfriend. The Latina knew her friends meant well but still, she couldn't tell them that or they'd be even more encouraged to annoy her into submission.

Before her musings could continue, the teacher stepped out of the room for a moment and the rest of the students started to talk to each other. " So Brit invited me to hang out this Friday."

Quinn looked up from her cell phone. "And you said yes?"

"Yes."

"San, come on. You're a masochist did you know that?"

The brunette rolled her eyes. "No, I decided to concentrate on being friends with her again. That should help me get over her, right? Kind of like immersion therapy."

"So, I take that as a no on the date with Jamie?"

"Yes, that's a no on Jamie. Thanks though." Santana smirked. She knew Rachel would give Quinn a hard time because she couldn't convince the Latina.

The blonde, as suspected, sighed in resignation. "Fine."

Their conversation was interrupted by Artie who shared that class with them. "Hey Santana?"

_Don't hit him, don't hit him, don't hit him! _"Hey, what's up?" _Good, keep it cool Santana._

He had the decency to look slightly scared. "Uhm, I just wanted to thank you."

The surprise must have been clear on both of the girls' faces because Artie continued. "For keeping Brittany company this Friday."

"Okay, you're going to have to explain that a little better because we don't get anything." Quinn said.

"I had planned a Halo night with the glee boys and the AV club but I didn't want to leave her alone. I would've had to cancel otherwise and it means a lot for the AV guys to play with Finn and Puck."

Santana saw red and clenched her fists at her sides to stop from seriously hurting him. Instead she opted for some verbal. "You know what wheels? You can go and shove your little…."

It was just their luck that the teacher decided to come back right then and Quinn intervened before the whole thing could get bigger. "We're always happy to help Artie."

Santana fought tears the rest of the class and she could tell Quinn was worried she'd snap and hit something or worse, someone. When the bell rang she turned around to face her best friend. " You know how we said a long time ago that Brit was incredibly naïve and therefore unable to hurt anything or anybody willingly?"

Quinn saw the first tears escape her best friend's eyes and just reached out to squeeze her shoulder. "Yes, I remember."

"I'm starting to seriously doubt that."

"San, she didn't mean to…"

"To what Q, decide to miss me and that she wants to hang out with me again because her boyfriend can't? I'm sorry but that's fucked up!"

Quinn just sighed. "I know but…"

"But nothing, I'm done. I'm not babysitting her on Friday. And for the record, tell Rach that Jamie is a go."

With that she stormed out of the classroom. _Thumbelina would have been proud of that one. _Operation getting over Brittany was officially on.


	14. Chapter 14

A/N: Here I am again, no excuse for the lateness other than life happening. This is a long one and I hope you like it, I'm not too sure about it myself. I'd love some suggestions or your opinion in general. Thank you to **luvz4lyf,**I saw the post on tumblr so this one's for you. Enjoy. :)

"Ugh, I hate this thing!" A frustrated Rachel Berry yelled while getting ready for dinner with Mrs. Fabray and her aunt.

Both girls were driving with Millie to the Fabray residence and Rachel had been fussing over her outfit for a good hour. Quinn kept telling her that she looked beautiful but nothing would stop the little diva from looking her best on what she called '"The most important dinner in my short life thus far."

Quinn got up from the bed with a sigh and wrapped her arms around a trim waist while positioning her chin on a conveniently short shoulder. "Baby, relax. Dr. Albright said you had to keep it for at least a week longer just to be safe." The blonde placed took the injured hand and kissed the fingers that peeked at the end of the cast that was now covered in little drawings made by the blonde herself. "Besides, you'd look gorgeous even in a potato sack. Mom loves you already, and what's the worse that could happen?"

_Really?__You__had__to__go__there?_Quinn knew the second those words left her mouth that she was in for a full-blown Berry rant. Objectively speaking, so much could actually go wrong but Quinn had already been kicked out of her house. In her mind, that would actually be the worse case scenario so she was somewhat prepared. "Don't even joke about it, you know how sensitive I am on that subject. We've talked about this Quinn. I don't want to be responsible for you losing your mother. I couldn't live with myself if you had to go through that again. I will not be the reason your life is ruined."

"Rach, relax. I _know_we've talked about this…extensively…but look at it this way. She either loves me and respects me for who I am or she doesn't. The fact that you're a huge part of this equation doesn't change that."

"But I am. I am involved in this, you cannot seriously expect me to detach completely from this whole ordeal."

_Great__Fabray!__You__really__are__on__a__roll__right__now._"That came out wrong. Okay, just…let me rephrase that." The blonde took a deep breath and looked at those brown orbs she so loved. "Even if you weren't in the picture, this would be a conversation I would have to have with my mother."

Confusion washed over the other girl's face. _Ugh__this__is__so__not__how__I__imagined__this__would__go._"I'm not quite following."

"I'm gay. I'm actually surprised that we haven't had this talk so far."

"I find your train of thought quite confusing. I am a female, as are you and we like each other. We are girlfriends. What exactly did you think we were we going to tell your mother if not that we are in a homosexual relationship?"

"Yes, I'm aware that we're both XX individuals. Ugh, okay this is going to sound bad but I promise you that it's the only way to explain this alright?"

"Go on."

"I may have come to the conclusion during this week that I clearly prefer girls to guys."

"Oh. I see." Rachel turned pensive. "Are you…are you sure? Does this mean you are attracted to more girls?"

"See? I knew you were gonna take it that way. No, it doesn't mean that I'm attracted to someone else. It's just that I've been thinking about my past relationships with guys as opposed to this…" She took Rachel's hand and intertwined their fingers. "…It makes much more sense. It feels more natural."

Quinn watched as Rachel thought about what she said. Then, slowly but surely, realization started to dawn on the brunette's face. "So what you're saying is that you would eventually have come to the conclusion that you're gay, even if you hadn't developed feelings for me."

"Exactly. So no guilt from whatever today's outcome is, okay?"

"I'm sorry, I find myself replaying your statement in my head and I do not think I'm quite comfortable with the fact that you might find other girls attractive."

"Rachel!" With a roll of her eyes the blonde took the brunette's hand and dragged her from the room. "We're gonna be late!" _Such__a__drama__queen._

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

"So Rachel, when is the cast coming off?" A very chipper Judy asked once everyone was settled for dinner.

"Oh, uh…Dr. Albright said that in two weeks, just to be safe. I'll go in for consult on Saturday again and he'll see."

It was Millie's turn to contribute to the conversation. "Jason said that it was nothing serious but he wanted to make sure there are no problems afterwards you know?"

Judy just nodded and said. "Hmm"

Rachel nudged Quinn under the table. Apparently it was time. The conversation had flowed easily between the two women and the teenagers but now it had reached somewhat of a standstill and Quinn could breach the subject. "Uh, mom?"

"Yes sweetie?"

"I…I need to tell you something. It's kind of important."

Rachel intervened here. "We. We need to tell you both something very important." She now addressed her aunt also.

"Oh, this looks like it's something serious Judy." Millie teased. "Okay girls, we are all ears."

Quinn's throat was suddenly desert dry. Her mouth opened and closed a few times trying to find the words but she couldn't. Not with her mother's and her girlfriend's aunt staring at her so intently. She cleared her throat after taking a sip of her glass of water. Underneath the table, she felt Rachel take her hand and squeeze reassuringly. This was all the blonde needed. _Well,__here__it__goes._

Determination flashed through her porcelain-like features as she intertwined her fingers with Rachel's still under the table. Flashing a small smile in the small brunette's direction, the blonde boldly brought their hands to rest atop the mantle. "Mom, Rachel and I...we...we're dating. I'm...I'm gay."

Feeding off this wave of sudden bravery she now addressed Millie. "Mil...Ms. Berry, I assure you that my intentions to Rachel are nothing but good. I...I really like her and I would never ever intentionally hurt her. I'll protect her for as long as she'll let me."

Both women's faces were stoic masks. Quinn would've gladly taken some anger, hell even some disgust; anything that would let her figure out what either of them were thinking but there was no such luck. She turned to Rachel to find her surprised mirrored in her girlfriend's features.

The petite diva took a deep breath and started talking. "Aunt Millie, I'm gay too. You see? Quinn and I talked about it before coming over and she informed me that she had come to the realization that she liked girls over boys after analyzing her past relationships and comparing them to our current one. I've now come to the same conclusion as her because this feels right. With her, my dramatic nature not withstanding, it's the real thing. I just know it. This isn't a phase, we're not bisexual; we're gay. "

Both girls were crying openly now. They were scared shitless but they had decided to do this and now they were going to pull through. Next, Rachel addressed Judy, very much like Quinn had with her aunt.

"Mrs. Fabray, your daughter has saved me in so many ways I do not think I will ever be able to convey how grateful I am that she even exists much less deemed me worthy of her affections. I want to assure you that my intentions towards her are also nothing but good ones."

Seconds ticked by and no one dared say anything. This was torture for the girls but there wasn't much they could do but wait. It was Millie who spoke first.

Turning to Judy, she tried but failed to hide the grin that overtook her face. "You owe me 50 bucks!"

Both women started laughing uncontrollably. Judy shook her head. "No way, they did it together. No one wins."

"Ha! Nice try Mrs. Fabray but little Q-ball over there spoke first. Very chivalrous of her to even assure me of the nature of her intentions towards my niece."

"But Rach...she made a whole speech!" the older blonde argued back.

"Oh pshht! Rachel always speaks like that. I won so, pay up."

Quinn was the first to recover from the women's sudden outburst and cleared her throat loudly to get their attention. "Excuse the language mother but, what the hell is going on?"

Both women faced the teenagers who were looking at them like they had grown a separate head each. "Oh sweetie, I'm sorry but...we kinda already knew."

"You-you did?" Quinn said utterly dumbfounded. "Both of you?"

The women nodded and offered calming smiles. "But how?" It was Rachel's turn to speak up.

Judy's hand reached out to rest on top of their joined ones above the table. "Rachel, if you could have seen the change in Quinn's behavior...I mean it's like I can draw a line and separate pre-Rachel Quinn from this one. She wasn't happy that it was your suffering that brought you two together but she is happier with you in her life."

Quinn blushed and lowered her gaze. Her mom was totally right about this imaginary line being drawn. A before and after of sorts. The cheerleader wasn't quite sure if there could actually be a 'pre-Rachel Quinn' since their lives had always intersected at some point, shamefully for Quinn's previous treatment of the diva. Maybe a 'before Quinn stopped being so lame and in denial and finally get her shit together' line. Still, she could do without the petite brunette's loss and pain.

"Also, one time I came in and she was saying goodbye to you over the phone and she said 'I love you too baby, bye.'. So that kind of gave it away."

_Well that makes much more sense. I always tell her I love her before hanging up the phone._

"So you told Millie?" Quinn asked with a flushed face.

"No Q-ball, I found out all on my own." the older Berry said with a mischievous glint in her eyes.

"What? How?" Rachel asked nervously.

"I saw you give her a peck on the lips when you thought I was distracted."

Quinn blushed beet red and Rachel's eyes widened comically. They had been extra careful but sometimes one of them got this overwhelming need to kiss the other one so they did. It was all very innocent though.

"So, Jason huh?" Judy said turning around towards Millie leaving the two girls utterly bewildered.

"What? That's his name." Millie's feigned innocence but a glint in her eyes betrayed her words.

"You like him don't you? He must be handsome, and a doctor at that. Quite a catch I'd say."

Quinn looked at Rachel and saw the surprise in her girlfriend's face. What the hell just happened? The blonde cleared her throat to get the older women's attention. "Uh...can you explain what just happened?"

Judy looked amused. "What do you mean sweetie?"

"We-I just told you I'm gay and that I'm in a relationship with another girl and you-you barely batted an eyelash."

Judy smiled. "I must confess that I had an inkling but after confirming it I did need some time to process it. But Quinn, I'm not your father. You never need to be scared or anxious about who you are on my account."

"But..."

Millie decided to intervene. "Q-ball, don't fight it, don't try to understand it it just is. Your mom is a cool mom."

"Uhm, sorry aunt Millie but, Q-ball?" Rachel spoke up for the first time.

"Oh you gotta know I'm the coolest Rach!" Millie said good naturedly. "Besides, I gave your dad a nickname after Leroy introduced him as his partner. You guys are a couple so Quinn gets hers. I think she made a pretty good argument with the whole 'my intentions are pure' speech."

At Millie's teasing tone Quinn blushed a deep shade of red and Judy smiled. "Rach, your speech was very good too. I find you quite well-suited to be with my daughter. Always so formal and polite, can't go wrong with that."

Watching Rachel lower her gaze and blush probably as deeply as she did, Quinn didn't know if she should feel relieved or angry that they weren't making such a big deal out of this. "Gee, you guys are really having a ball with this piece of news."

"We're just teasing Quinnie, we love you both very much." After that there was silence.

"Can we be excused then?" Quinn asked a little relieved this whole thing was over.

"Sure thing sweetheart."

With that, both girls went up to the blonde's bedroom. "Well, that was weird." Quinn was the first to break the silence as soon as they closed the door.

Taking a seat on her girlfriend's bed, Rachel nodded. "To be frank I found the whole experience oddly anti-climactic. I mean, don't get me wrong; I'm absolutely thrilled that they both accept our current relationship but I feel as though they don't even care."

"I know but, look at it this way, they're one less thing we have to worry about."

Both girls shrugged and got Quinn's iPod out to listen to some songs until they were told it was time for Rachel to go home. Unbeknownst to both teens, the adults were not as oblivious as they though they were.

"I think we overdid it a little bit with our little stunt Judy." Millie said.

"Yes, I felt it too though I really thought that showing them it wasn't such a big deal was the correct thing to do. Boy do I deserve the best mom ever award or what?"

"Hey, don't beat yourself up so much okay? You are a good mom despite whatever may have happened in the past. Quinn knows that...just talk to her."

"Yeah, you're right. I think it's time to take a more direct approach towards the improvement of our mother-daughter relationship."

Millie snorted at the woman's expression. "Now I definitely know Rachel has been spending too much time in this house.

xxxxxxxxxxxxx

Their ride back home wasn't long; still the Berry women were oddly quiet for most of it. It had not been a surprise for Millie that Rachel declared herself gay; it didn't scare her either. She remembered quite vividly what had happened when her brother, who she completely idolized had broken the news to her family.

She'd never seen him so scared; he was actually shivering slightly. Sure, their father had always been strict but they both knew that he loved them unconditionally. At least until that day. That night, she cried herself to sleep along with their mother wondering about the fate of young Leroy.

Her father, and her family in general had eventually come along to accept him and even more so when he introduced Hiram as his partner. Everyone loved him instantly. However, she knew that the weight of having rejected his son was something that her father could never quite get rid of.

They arrived home and both of them stayed in the car staring at the front. Finally, Rachel moved to get out but Millie stopped her. "You do know that it's all good between us as far as I'm concerned, right?"

Rachel thought for a minute and smiled at her aunt. "You really are the coolest aunt Millie."

"Always was, always will be."

They went up and chatted for a while before retiring for bed. The small brunette felt extremely lighthearted. Like there was a light at the end of the tunnel that her life had seemed a few weeks prior. It was good.

She sent her girlfriend a text as she went about her nightly routine.

**Hey****baby,****how****'****s****it****going****for****you****over****there?****I****(weirdly)****talked****it****out****with****aunt****Millie****in****the****car.**** –****R**

It took the blonde quite a while to answer. Rachel was already in bed and falling asleep when the buzzing of her cell phone on top of her night table woke her up again. She snatched it immediately knowing it was Quinn.

**Sorry I took so long babe; Millie is cool but I'm glad you guys cleared the air for sure. I talked it out "old-school style" with mom haha we even cried and everything. –Q **

Rachel frowned; she really didn't like it when Quinn cried.

**Don't worry sweetie but, are you okay? She didn't regret what she said over dinner or anything, right? –R **

**Nah, it was a good talk, they were good tears baby don't worry. We're having more mother-daughter time though. –Q **

**I'm glad to read that baby. You know I hate to say goodbye to you but my eyes are quite literally closing and I fear I'll fall asleep any minute now. –R **

**Yeah, I'm hammered too. Quite the day huh? I'll pick you up for school tomorrow. Oh I forgot to tell you Santana said yes to Jamie, don't you love me? ;) –Q **

**Wonderful! I knew you'd convince her and I do love you Miss Fabray. I'll see you tomorrow then. Sweet dreams baby. xoxo –R **

**Good night sweetheart. Love you too. xoxo –Q **

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

"Hey Berry, no psycho bodyguards today or what?" Dave Karofsky slammed her locker door shut.

Rachel had gone to her locker to retrieve a book she needed for her homework before glee while Quinn and Santana went ahead to the choir room. It was just her luck that in those few minutes, Karofsky found the time to come and bother her. Sometimes Rachel thought that he trolled the hallways just to make other people feel miserable.

"Dave, I don't know what you're talking about and I'm sorry but I'm a bit pressed for time." The small diva tried to bypass him but he blocked her way.

"Oh you know who I'm talking about. Those dykes Fabray and Lopez."

"Hey Karofsky! I better have heard that wrong!" Santana yelled from the end of the hall. Both her and Quinn had come looking for her when she took longer than expected.

"Or what, Lopez?"

Santana approached him slowly and even though he tried to hide it, he took one step backwards. This didn't go unnoticed by the cheerleader who smirked. "Do you really wanna find out?"

He looked down and Quinn added. "I told you to leave her alone. I'm not gonna say this again, you hear me?"

He fumed. "Whatever, she's not worth it anyway. Her own parents went and jumped off a plane to get away from her."

The hurt look that flashed across the brunette diva's face made Quinn's blood boil with anger. She started towards the idiotic boy but Santana caught her around the waist before she could reach him. "Hey Q, he's not worth it. You better go Karofsky before I think better of it and my grip on her waist loosens. You breathe another word about her fathers and I will conveniently let it slip to JewFro how I've caught you looking at Sam's ass."

Dave's eyes widened and he ran away. Finally, Santana released her hold on her friend and Quinn hurried to hug Rachel who had dropped to the floor, crying.

"San-Santana, do you know about…about my-my dads?" Rachel managed to get out between sobs.

Santana crouched down next to the couple and grabbed the singer's hand. "I'm surprised you didn't figure it out short stack. My dad's a doctor too, he worked with your dad."

"Oh." Rachel managed to choke out when she connected the dots. "Why didn't you say anything?"

"Because, it was not my place. You'll tell me when you're ready, and if you're ready I guess. Now, Q you get you hobbit home and I'll tell Schue that you guys had an emergency. "

Both cheerleaders shared a look and Quinn helped Rachel up. "Thanks San."

"Don't mention it Juno, really." With a wink she sauntered away to glee practice.

So Quinn drove Rachel home all the while holding her hand a caressing it with her thumb. She showed herself particularly annoyed when she had to use two hands to maneuver through the streets of lime but Rachel made it up to her by tugging at her ear. "Are you sure you're okay?"

The brunette starlet smiled and squeezed the pale hand holding hers. "I'm sure Quinn, just let it go."

"I can't, he was not only a jackass but a cruel jackass!" The blonde yelled and hit the steering wheel.

"Language Quinn. And there's nothing we can do about him. I'm stronger than his petty comments. I know my parents loved me unconditionally."

Quinn looked at her girlfriend for a second before leaning in despite her seatbelt and plated a searing kiss on surprised lips. "You're amazing."

Rachel blushed and ducked her face. Quinn smiled and drove on not caring about the cars honking and swearing because she had stopped in the middle of the road.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

The incident with Karofksy, coming out to Mrs. Fabray and the week in general seemed to fly by. Rachel had arranged the blind date Santana would go no with one of her friends from dance class to take by that Friday. Each day was a struggle because the fiery Latina kept changing her mind about it though in the end Quinn said that she had already agreed to it and there was no going back. Quinn and Rachel were to have a movie night and Santana was to come over when the date ended to relay all the details to her friends.

"Okay so Jamie is on her way to meet Santana!" Rachel had just hung up the phone and her friend sounded pretty excited to be going out with Santana. "This is the best idea I've ever had."

Pale arms snaked around her waist from behind and she felt a kiss being deposited on her neck. "Good, I hope this helps though, I'd hate to see her suffer any more then she already has."

"Awww Quinn, that's so sweet." Rachel stated while turning around in her girlfriend's arms. "But Santana is tough, if anything this whole Brittany mess will help her mature."

Quinn smiled and placed a kiss to the brunette's nose. "Thank you for that Dr. Phil."

Just then, Rachel's phone started ringing. "It's Santana."

Quinn giggled. "Why is your ring tone for her "I'm too sexy"?"

"She chose it!" Rachel shrugged and flipped the phone open. "Hello Santana."

"She stood me up!" Santana was literally going crazy and restless while waiting at Breadstix for Jamie to how up for their date. It had been crushing to cancel on Brittany but she'd done it quite politely she felt.

The small brunette chuckled over the phone line. "Santana, would you please calm down? It's been five minutes!"

"I don't care! You know what? You're calling me in exactly half an hour with an emergency or some shit like that and I'll just find a way to get the hell out of here. This is too fucking much for me, Berry!"

Santana was too busy with her mini freak-out to notice a girl walking into the restaurant and after being directed towards her table was now standing right beside her. "Hi." When the Latina turned around she must have looked like a deer caught in the headlights because the girl was smiling widely. "You must be Santana."

"Gotta go, bye." The Latina hung up the phone and stood up. She awkwardly held her hand out. "Yeah, I am…Santana, I mean. You must be Jamie."

The girl chuckled and shook the offered hand lightly. "Yes, I am. Nice to meet you."


	15. Chapter 15

**A/N: Hey guys, this is the suite and it's kind of a filler :S. I have a few ideas on how to continue but I don't have the time to write. Please bear with me, I will do my best and that's a promise. You'll find something weird with the whole Santana/Jamie thing but I have an idea on how I want to tell that part of the story, don't worry it IS an important storyline for me so I won't make it a joke. Please leave me a comment and/or suggestion. Enjoy. **

_Shit,__I'm__in__so__much__trouble__it's__not__even__funny._ Currently, the Latina was driving her very charming date back home. It had been one of the best dates she'd ever been on and even Santana was mature enough to know that was saying something. Jamie was a tall, slim girl with short black hair that fell on her shoulders in light waves that framed her slightly angular features. Her dark chocolate eyes; inquisitive and piercing yet delicate in her appraisal of the Latina, had a charming spark to them. _Shit,__I__really__am__in__trouble._

"Take a left here San." The girl instructed breaking the silence.

Without answering the girl behind the wheel did as she was told. "I'm sorry, do you not like it when people call you San?"

The Latina peeled her gaze from the road for a second to look at Jamie with confusion in her eyes. "What? Why would you say that?"

Jamie shifted a little in order to face the Latina a bit better. "Your face, it fell the moment I said it. And even that is saying something 'cause I've practically been able to see the wheels turning in your head ever since we left the restaurant. I mean, don't get me wrong but I kinda had a great time and I..."

"Brittany was the first to ever call me that." The cheerleader found it mildly amusing that Jamie and Rachel were able to talk in paragraphs so effortlessly. "And I can totally see you being friends with Berry now."

The smile that suddenly grazed the Latina's face was bittersweet. She didn't want to bring the blonde dancer up so quickly, especially after they had such a good time. Besides, it wasn't like they were going to start a relationship right away; Santana was still too scared for that. Either way, she found that she didn't want Jamie to think that she'd done something to make her uncomfortable. She had really liked the other girl.

"Who's Brittany?"

Santana looked stunned. "Thumbelina didn't tell you?"

The girl laughed. _Thank__god__she__likes__to__make__fun__of__Rachel's__height__too__and__doesn't__take__nicknames__too__seriously_. "No she didn't, the only thing she said was that you were a cheerleader, friend of Quinn's and that we should double date soon. Oh and she told me to tone down my "lesbian-ness" 'cause I might scare you off."

Santana blushed. "Damn, I thought for sure she was gonna give you the whole 411. And what made her think you could scare me off? I'm from Lima Heights Adjacent for crying out loud!"

"Take a left here again, my house is two blocks down. Relax, Santana. She meant well, she knows that I've come to terms with being gay a long time ago and she said that it was still new for you. That's all. And...about this Brittany..."

"Uhm..." The Latina slowly brought the car to a stop in front of the house her date had pointed at. She shifted uncomfortably, not really knowing how to broach this particular subject. "She...I-I...I mean...we..." _God,__this__stuttering__and__shit__is__betraying__that__whole__Lima__Heights__speech.__Fucking__get__it__together,__Lopez!_

Jamie unbuckled her seatbelt and took one of the cheerleader's hands in both of her own attempting a calming touch. It seemed to have worked and she directed a full smile to Santana. "Look, you don't have to tell me everything now or at all; it's entirely up to you. I really had a great time tonight and hope we can do it again some time soon. You are very cool if I do say so myself Ms. Lopez"

Santana let out a sigh or relief. This could actually work, if she was patient and reigned in the bitchiness. So far, Jamie had succeeded in taking up a space underneath her skin. It would be stupid to deny it nor did she want to. She was tired of walking around mad at the world. "You are cool too, I still can't figure out how you and Berry are such good friends. Shared ballet classes or not."

"Oh, come on! She's not that bad when you get past the apparent self absorption. Operational word here, apparent." Jamie winked at Santana. "So...time to go, I guess." With that, she took the door handle and proceeded to open the door.

In a spur of the moment decision, Santana leapt out of the car and scurried over to the passenger side just in time to open the door for Jamie. "Well aren't you a charmer?"

"I am a Lopez, a scared shitless Lopez but still..."

They walked in silence towards the front porch of a neat two story house. It even looked cozy from the outside and Santana could actually picture someone growing up to be like Jamie in a house like this. The front light was on and the Latina remembered that the girl had told her about a particularly protective father. Maybe he was waiting behind the door with a shotgun or something. "So I guess this is goodbye then." The cheerleader couldn't help but shift her gaze towards the dancer's lips. _You're__such__a__wuss,__Lopez.__A__fucking__wuss!_

She wanted to kiss Jamie but something held her back. Fortunately, the other girl wasn't as oblivious to Santana's intent as the Latina would've liked and leaned forward slowly. It wasn't a real kiss, Jamie's lips fell just short of hers. Still, she went a little weak in the knees from the soft yet determined contact. Jamie pulled back with a smirk. "I certainly hope it's something more of a see you later, what do you think? Call me some time this week?"

Santana was staring gobsmacked at her, mouth opening and closing like a fish out of water. "I-I...yeah, I will. Uhm, see you later."

Jamie smiled and with a side hug went inside. The fiery Latina stood there stunned for a few seconds before smiling and walking back to her car. It had been a good night for this Lopez. She turned the key in the ignition and rode home with a smile on her face blasting some cheesy love song radio station.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

"Ow! Easy tiger, I'm not going anywhere." Quinn said to a very eager Rachel Berry while she touched the tender site where the cast had connected with her head.

They were hanging out in the brunette's bedroom and ended up making out on her bed. "Oh, I'm sorry Quinn, I guess I got carried away...I didn't mean to..." The brunette rolled off her position on top of the blonde cheerleader and stared at her hands on her lap.

"Babe, relax, I think it's safe to say I was as much into it as you were." The blonde smirked at the blush creeping up her girlfriend's neck and cheeks.

This had been happening more frequently whenever they were alone together. It seemed that they were every bit as vulnerable to teenage hormones as boys were. The thing was, both of them were too shy to actually say it out loud thus, finding themselves in these kinds of situations more often than they'd care to admit. After one particularly intense one, Quinn decided that this was ridiculous, they had to be able to talk about these things. She knew Rachel and she probably had some sort of plan for how her first time would go and the blonde wanted to give it to her, she wanted to make everything perfect for her girlfriend and maybe, make up for her drunken first time with Puck.

Quinn tilted Rachel's chin up and searched her gaze. "Rach, listen to me. I love you and you know that. I-I think that these feelings are normal...I mean...I don't want to sound like a horny teenage boy...but-I...I mean...you..." _God__Fabray!__You__were__supposed__to__reassure__her._She visibly deflated and Rachel giggled.

"I think I know what you're trying to say baby. And I know you're right, I mean you're gorgeous and, for lack of a better word, totally hot. This is normal because as evolved as I like to think our sex is supposed to be I meant what I said, girls want sex just as much as guys do."

Quinn blushed harder than ever and buried her head into a pillow. "Oh god, is my face as red as I can feel it getting?"

Rachel took one corner of the pillow covering her girlfriend's face and pulled until she could take a peak and hummed. "Yes, but the flustered look suits you."

"Okay, change of subject..."

"Yes, please!" Rachel said dramatically making Quinn giggle.

"Do you want me to come tomorrow for the official 'cast removal'?"

Rachel glared at the offending object. The removal was long overdue but she hadn't had time to call the hospital and make an appointment. "If you want, it's no big deal. I just want it off as soon as possible."

Quinn blinked. "Uh...I know...but I just thought..." The girl sighed. She was almost sure that this was about Rachel not wanting to be the one to be nurtured, the one that had to be constantly protected. She didn't know how to make the little diva understand that even if the circumstances of their relationship had been different she still would've been wildly protective. There was just something about the brunette and those big chocolate eyes that turned her into an over overprotective girlfriend.

"I don't want to be a burden, Quinn." Rachel said while diverting her gaze downward and fiddling with her fingers. "But if you want to come I'd love for you to be there."

"I'll be there...hey." The blonde girl said and nudged Rachel's chin up to look into her eyes. "I'll be there." With a huge grin she leaned in for a chaste peck of the brunette's lips and nose.

They looked into each other's eyes but were interrupted by Rachel's phone blasting Defying Gravity so she went to answer. "It's probably aunt Millie, she had court today with Shelby and I told her to call me as soon as they found out something new about this whole mess."Hello aunt Millie, how is everything doing?"

Quinn couldn't hear what the woman answered but judging by her girlfriend's paling face it wasn't good. "Rach, what's wrong?"

The girl held up a hand in a 'hang on' gesture and started pacing the floor in front of Quinn's bed with a frown on her face. "Calm down, I can't understand a word you're saying...what do you mean you don't know how she found out? What did she find out?...WHAT? I mean that was a long time ago, it has nothing to do with the person you are now she can't do that, it's not reasonable...I won't do it, period...you can take whatever legal measures in light of this new development but I'll speak to the judge myself if I have to...uugh fine. I'll talk to you later, goodbye."

The brunette disconnected the call and threw her phone on the bed. "This can't be happening."

"What, Rach, what's happening?" Quinn was worried now.

"Shelby's lawyers found out that aunt Millie was arrested for drunken disturbances and she had a joint with her when she was in college. They're trying to paint her as a bad influence on me.

Quinn gaped at this piece of news. "What?"

"Shelby is asking for a quick resolution trial and that in the meantime I go live with her because aunt Millie is obviously the spawn of the devil."

"Okay, that's it...I'm gonna beat some sense into her now!"


	16. Chapter 16

**A/N: Hey guys! I know you hate me for taking forever and you'll hate me even more once you finish reading this. Anyway, I hope you're still on for the ride because I told you I will finish this story even if it kills me. Thanks in advance if you're still out there. Cheers!**

The phone was ringing and Quinn's body was humming with anticipation. Before the blonde finally decided to do this, she had asked her mother for advice on this whole situation because she was at a complete loss on how to help Rachel. She only knew that the Shelby ordeal was making her girlfriend feel bad and that simply would not do. Judy had said that Miss Corcoran was just trying to get closer to her daughter but wasn't sure on how to go about doing it. Quinn just thought she was flat out crazy.

"_Mom, how on earth could she be doing this for Rachel if all she is actually doing is hurting her?"_

_Judy sighed, she wasn't trying to justify Shelby's behavior; she simply thought that there was more to it than a petty need to hurt the Berry women. "Quinnie, try to look at this from a mother's perspective, not as Rachel's girlfriend."_

After that particular conversation, the blonde was surprised to say the least. Her mother had skirted around the topic of Beth very widely, never getting into much detail but this time she had gone above and beyond all previous expectations on the matter. After all, Judy was completely right. Even if she had given Beth up for adoption she did so thinking only about her daughter's best interests. She made a decision as a mother.

After much thinking on her part, she resolved to give the woman they had all agreed to implicitly hate the benefit of the doubt and just try and convince her that her approach was not the right one if she wanted to be closer to Rachel.

On the third ring a tired voice finally answered. "Hello?"

"Uhm…hello, my name is Quinn Fabray and I would like to speak to Ms. Shelby Corcoran, please?"

"Quinn? It's me. Is everything alright?"

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Quinn and Santana were in the Latina's room waiting for Rachel to arrive. They were having a Friday movie marathon but the brunette's aunt had asked her to come directly home after school to discuss some lawyer stuff.

"So, I take it your date with Jamie went well?" the blonde asked her friend. Santana had been very vague about the whole situation and it was time to get her to spill the beans. Rachel had had no success with her friend so it was up to the blonde to get the scoop.

"Yeah, it was nice. I mean, for a first date." the Latina tried to sound as nonchalant as possible. Quinn, on the other hand was having none of that.

With a roll of her eyes she nudged her friend's arm. "Come on! Tell me more! Did you kiss her?"

Santana tried to launch a pillow at her face but Quinn managed to catch it. "No, I didn't." the brunette looked down trying but failing miserably to hide a deep blush that was now covering her entire face.

The blonde smiled, this was the way it usually went with her friend. Sometimes, Santana needed her to make specific questions in order to fully acknowledge what she was thinking but was too afraid to say out loud. The dynamic of their friendship dictated that it was up to Quinn to help her friend give a name and last name to what she was feeling right now. "Did you want to?"

Santana took the aforementioned pillow and hid her face with it. Quinn only reached out and pulled back a corner so that she could see one deep (Not as deep or beautiful as Rachel's, but still.) chocolate eye. "Santana, did you want to kiss Jamie?"

The nod she received for an answer was almost imperceptible, but there it was. This too, was typical Santana Lopez behavior. The Latina was obviously suffering from Brittany's rejection and she was reluctant to start anything with Rachel's friend because she still had hope that things with the blonde dancer would work out. Quinn removed the pillow completely and engulfed her friend in a tight hug. "Oh San, you deserve to be happy you know that right? You can't close yourself off to any and all possibilities just because of one disappointment."

"It wasn't your regular 'these pants used to fit me and now they don't' sort of disappointment Q. You know, I look at you and Thumbelina and I see that what you have is the real thing. I mean, I know we're still young and all that shit but you guys have barely been together a month and I already feel you're gonna pop the question tomorrow. I want that."

The blonde chuckled and rolled her eyes. "That's the thing San, you can't compare things like these. Rachel and I, we're not perfect but we have something that works for us. It's not necessarily something that would work for you or anybody else for that matter."

The Latina sniffed and plopped face down on her bed. "I know that." The mattress beneath her muffled her words. "I meant the whole experience of being in love that intensely. I thought I had that but...oh god! This shit is all fucked up."

"I know, but think about it this way, you don't have to ask her to be your girlfriend tomorrow. Much less 'pop the question' in the very near future." Quinn emphasized her words with air quotes trying to make light of the situation. "And in the meantime there's nothing keeping you from getting to know her. Who knows? Maybe you'll kiss her and 'intensely fall in love with her'" Quinn laughed at her joke.

The Latina sat up and punched her friend in the shoulder. "Hardy har har...I guess you're right. I won't know until I try."

"Exactly my point! So, let me call my fiancée and ask her what's taking her so long." Quinn winked and got up to retrieve her cellphone.

"I'm never telling you anything again, Fabray."

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Not far from there, the Berry women were sitting at their dining room table discussing the events of that day in court. "So what are you saying, aunt Millie?"

The woman sat slumped in her chair looking utterly defeated. She had chosen a tailored pantsuit and had looked impeccable in the morning and during the hearing. Now, the blazer hung haphazardly from the back of the chair and she had untucked her light blue Oxford shirt and rolled up the sleeves. She looked like she had aged a good ten years. This could not be good by any stretch.

Millie reached across the table and took her niece's hand in both of hers. "You have to go with her." As she said it, a lone tear fell from her eye.

Rachel pulled her hand back abruptly and stood up, eyes welling with tears already threatening to spill over. "What? No! I won't! I don't care what they say, I won't go with her."

The girl couldn't understand why Shelby, who had already made it quite clear that she didn't want a relationship with her daughter, was putting so much effort into this. What would she get out of it? Surely, it wasn't the money in Rachel's trust she was after. Or was she? _Ugh, I hate this feeling if not knowing. Like people are lying to me. _Losing her fathers was the worst thing that could ever happen to her and now this whole...chaos... was making her feel even more uncertain now that she was finally thinking she could get over it somehow.

"Rachel, I know. Believe me, I tried to fight it with everything I have. The lawyer did everything he could think of to prevent this but the judge had already made his decision."

She had finally been talking to Quinn about cleaning out her parents' room and even visiting their graves at the cemetery. She was well aware that all of that was just symbolic, the bodies had not even been found. Her family was worried about her and aunt Millie wanted her to see a shrink at Mrs. Howell's suggestion because they thought she was bottling everything up. And truth be told she was, she really was. Only now she had found in Quinn the strength to finally own up to all of what she was feeling.

It was just too much. Rachel felt the shell crack and every emotion; insecurity and bitter thought rush out without any possibility to rein it in. With the coldest, most lifeless voice she had ever heard herself use she answered. "You should've tried harder." Turned around and ran out the front door.

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"She's still not picking up" Quinn was worried now. "It must be something serious, San."

The teenagers had been trying for the past two hours to contact the girl and her aunt but to no avail. The blonde had wanted to go to Rachel's house right away after the first five unanswered calls but the Latina had reasoned with her. "Well of course it's something serious! Maybe they're trying to figure out things as a...well, as a family. Let them be for a few more hours."

She was right; rationally speaking Quinn knew that Santana was right. Whatever the situation it was up to Millie and Rachel to work it out on their own time. However, it wasn't like her girlfriend at all to be late to well, anywhere; much less without so much as a text message to explain herself. The blonde had a very bad feeling about this.

A few minutes later, her phone started ringing and in her hurry to get it she didn't check the caller ID. "Hello?"

"Quinn!" It was Rachel's aunt and the woman sounded frantic. This automatically caused the girl's stomach to drop uncomfortably. "Quinn! Is she there? Is Rachel with you?"

"What? No!" The girl put the phone between her ear and her shoulder and started to look for her jeans and a t-shirt since they had changed into their pajamas a while ago. "She was supposed to go home with you right after school!"

Her look and her words were enough for Santana to start doing the same and reaching for the car keys. "She did! We talked and…it's bad news, Quinn. But I didn't think she'd take it this way. She was out of it; I've never seen her like this! I've been driving around trying to find her, she's not at your house; I already asked your mom. Santana's was the last place I could think of!"

"It's going to be okay Millie, Santana and I will help you find her." It was as if Quinn had gone into survival mode. She saw everything with a creepy clarity that she knew would go right out the window if she let herself actually process the fact that Rachel was missing. Upset and missing. "Go back to your place and wait in case she calls or shows up, I'll get my mom to do the same and luckily San's dad is here to cover this house."

Santana nodded when she heard this. "I'll go tell him right now and wait for you in the car."

xxxxxxxxxxxxxx

_Think Quinn, where haven't you checked?_ "Hey! Take us back to school. Maybe she's in the auditorium or the choir room." Quinn desperately told her friend who had to drive them around while the blonde called her girlfriend's cell phone over and over again.

The Latina steered the car towards McKinley High even though she looked incredulous. "School is closed by this hour, Q. I doubt she'd be there."

"I gave her the key coach Sylvester gave me when I became captain. I've been trying to get her to sing and I thought maybe if inspiration struck it would be easier for her to get in if she wanted." Quinn worriedly looked out the window as they came up to the school parking lot. Rachel didn't have a car with her but she felt completely helpless. Please let her be here.

"Why would she come to school if inspiration just struck randomly?" Santana tried desperately to lighten the mood as she parked as close to the entrance door as possible.

Quinn snapped. "I don't know Santana! I was just trying to get her out of her depression and you're not helping!"

"Okay, calm down. I really was just trying to help. Come on, let's check if the door is open."

Both girls walked up to the door and it was indeed unlocked. It was a good sign since it was pretty late and not many people had access to the school at such late hours. Maybe she really had come here. It wasn't unusual for Rachel to sort through her emotions with music and maybe this was enough of a crisis to prompt her back into singing. Quinn was really worried and knew that her girlfriend, although outwardly projected a happier person, was still bottling up everything about her parents.

"Rachel?" Santana called out loud. It was weird enough being here this late but it was even weirder to be screaming in the deserted hallways.

Quinn strolled with determination towards the choir room. "Come on, if she's here there's really only two places where we can find her."

The meeting place for the glee club was a bust. The lights were off and all the chairs were up on the bleachers ready for a new day. The only option left now was the auditorium and Quinn had a really bad feeling about this. "So I guess she just cracked, didn't she?" The Latina said tentatively. "It seemed like she was doing fine you know?"

They're almost to the auditorium now and at least it looked like the lights were on. "I know San, but she just _looked_ fine. I haven't been able to get her to open up about anything since she fell apart and told me they had died."

Santana pushed the door open and yelled. "Rachel!" There was no answer but she still tried again. "Rachel, please!"

When there was no response for a few seconds the blonde teen sighed and plopped down in one of the nearest seats with her head in her hands. The up and down movement of her shoulders were the only indication that she was crying. "What am I gonna do, San?"

Santana came to sit beside her and rubbed circles on her back soothingly. "Hey, don't beat yourself up. You're doing all you can to help her and that's pretty obvious to everybody. The thing is Q, I think that you might've bitten off more than you can chew. If what you said to me about not getting her to open up is true then maybe she needs help from someone you know…professional."

The blonde girl sighed. "I know, I think so too. Actually, the report on her file said that Ms. Pills…Howell recommended someone and was just waiting on confirmation from Millie on whether to contact them."

"Oh man, smurfette can't catch a break, can she?" Santana sighed and patted her friend on the back. "Come on, this was a good idea but she's clearly not here."

Both girls left the auditorium without having checked behind the curtains. There, huddled in a corner with her knees pressed up to her chest was Rachel. Rachel, who'd just gotten more proof that people were constantly hiding things from her. Quinn obviously had known about her parents before coming over to her house. She'd never discussed what Ms. Howell had told her and most certainly not that dreadful report, a pink sheet of paper meant to summarize the beginning of her end. "She already knew." A tear fell down her cheek and suddenly she was helpless to keep them at bay so she just let the sobs wrack her body and hope the pain passed soon.


End file.
